


The Nights Were Made For Hushed Secrets Behind Closed Door

by Altschmerzkai



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: Akihito is not human, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Asami needs to Chill, BAMF!Akihito, Children of Lilith, F/M, M/M, Not really sure how the tag works, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Photographic Memory, Slight Religious Imagery & Symbolism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-08-07 10:17:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16406537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Altschmerzkai/pseuds/Altschmerzkai
Summary: If your sight goes as far as the future, can you avoid the inevitable?





	1. Fire Away

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! It's Kai!  
> I honestly don't know how this will work out, but I hope you will enjoy this as much as I do
> 
> WARNING betaed by yours truly
> 
> I own nothing but the plot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prologue

As the saying goes, cats have 9 lives.  
  
However, no matter how much cat-like he is, surely he would most likely spent all 9 of his lives if he falls down this 50 storied building that he currently climbs on while he takes a breather on floor 43 (Or was it 41?).  
  
“The only reason someone build this humongous pile of shit is when they need to compensate for something.” He mutters as he continues the climb. Not a wise choice considering he should be preserving his breath and energy for what few floors left. “Whatever it is, I bet it’s not his ego. World knows that thing is bigger than life itself!”  
  
“Be discreet he said.” He hooked one leg to one windowsill, “Avoid using the front door he said.” Moving on to the next one, making sure his harness is still on properly. “Easy for you to say, huh? You have your own goddamn underground elevator straight from the deepest pit of hell, which goes straight up, to the heavens where you play God with your goons. The very same goons who you didn’t tell beforehand that I’m coming so proceeded to shove me on my ass when I tried to go up using it!” He makes sure he has a sure grip on the baluster as he hoist himself up to the balcony. Balcony means good news, it indicates that he has reached the 45th floor where the residential area starts. “ _This is for Asami-Sama’s personal use only_ , he said! What a joke! This ass worths more than your boss could ever dream to be!” He takes off the hook from the edge of the baluster then swings the attached paracord around to gain more momentum. He lets go with a little throw, watching as the hook scrapes the exterior of said skyscraper before finally settling on one particular ledge. “But then you could have been more considerate you jackass! At least turn off the fucking security on your fucking air duct! But nooo, you couldn’t, because being nice does not exist in your fucking dictionary, does it?” By now, he doesn’t really need the hook for other than safety reasons. His ascend now consists of swinging from one balcony to another. And as he has finally reached the 50th floor, standing in front of a glass door of a balcony that is bigger than others prior, he lets out a sigh. He tests it out to find it locked. He lets out another sigh,exasperate this time.  
  
“Doesn’t matter.” He said. He reaches the strap around his torso then gives it a tug to turn it around. The waistbag would have been a bother if he actually wears it on his hip. Furthermore, this style is much more comfortable. “Nobody likes your air duct anyway. That shit is covered in filth.” Which is a lie, considering that the air ducts are being cleaned every week. But all reasons went out of the window while he concentrates on a small keyhole, waiting for a telltale click that will ensure that he completes the half part of his mission with flying colors.  
  
“Knock knock, Asami- _Sama._ ” He whispered to the wind as the sliding door moves aside soundlessly. “Excuse me. But your death is coming in.”

  
\-------------  
There is a draft from somewhere, but she’s too busy to care. Her figure bounces up and down as her mouth opens in a silent scream. She’s trying to form an alliance at the moment and failure is not an option. Not to mention her father has been running his mouth on something about a _respectable marriage between the elites_ and _Asami-Sama is the only only one worthy enough_ and _imagine what you could do with a man like him by your side_ for quite some time. And no, she doesn’t mind, really. If by marrying The Great Asami Ryuichi—Which, is this hunk of man with a face, body, wealth, mind and power that just scream to be worshipped (also the owner of this glorious dick she currently rides, by the way)—means that this would be hers someday, she doesn’t mind at all.  
  
Asami Ryuichi is a contradiction, she thinks. Everybody knows his nightly escapades, but seems like the type when he does have a partner, he stays true. He may take you places, bed you on the topmost floor of Sion where he sometimes lay down to unwind just like now, but never his own home. He may take you to fancy dinings, offers you the best wine and champagne of his extensive knowledge, but he refuses to offer you kisses. Simply put, he may give you his body, but never his heart. All these are just fuel to her fire. She wants to be the one to conquer the unknown called Asami Ryuichi. Strike that, she **will** be the one he refuses to let go. For now, he does not look like he’s interested, but she is very keen on the idea of changing his mind.  
  
She loves a good challenge afterall.  
  
The sudden chilly air is also felt by the other occupant of the lavishly decorated room. But unlike the woman, he chooses to pay more attention to it. With a dunhill stick between his fingers, his eyes wanders around. Always sharp, always aware, even during sex. This can’t even be called sex. If anything, he is _working_ , currently in the middle of _negotiation_. Simply put, borrowing a certain brat’s term, _a hundred trillion fuck_. That’s all there is to this. No feelings—at least for him—attached. This is strictly business and he is very a busy man.  
  
This woman that he already forgot the name of, is the daughter of one diet member Kiyoshiro Yamato. A typical princess who uses daddy’s name and influence to build an enterprise almost as big as Sion. And just this morning, she strutted to his office all dolled up, then carries on by shoving a merging proposal (it was horrible and poorly made, mind you) to his face while flirting with him at the same time. She blatantly said to his face that _she’s the one he has been looking for all his life._  
  
**The nerve.**  
  
Couldn’t really blame her though, her previous business partners must have fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. With all the bleach and pampering, she must think she’s _irresistible_. It’s fun to watch a crow pretends to have the colorful feathers of a peacock. At least, he thought at that time, she could be his source of amusement for a while.  
  
But this is downright preposterous. Asami Ryuichi quickly finds himself regretting his decision that leads to this current predicament. He doesn’t know whether she’s trying her best or plainly just teasing him for _one hour and a half_. It’s clear that she’s used to have other people do the work for her, even during sex. It’s fine once in a while, but Asami needs something more tonight. She promised him heaven and she gives him hell is fraud. It was she who told him to lean to the headboard as she does her _magic_. Figures, everybody knows there is no such thing as _magic_.  
  
That is until someone barges in and shoves the woman out of his lap (and his dick).  
  
The self-declared elegant lady falls head first in a not-so-elegant way to the (thankfully) thickly padded floor of the bedroom, all the while screeching like a banshee as she struggles to hold on to the black silk sheets as an anchor before she finally lays there all bare for the world to see. Because seriously, honey, silks are not your ally when it comes to falling.  
  
“As an afterthought, miss...” A voice chided. “You can get back on. I don’t need to see _that afterall._ ”  
  
Her mouth moves like those of fish as she stares incredulously to one—admittedly—fine young boy by the other side of the bed. He has silver-blonde hair that seems to illuminate the dim-lit room, as well as a pair of warm hazel eyes that are busy being in the middle of a glaring contest with gold at the moment. The black sleeveless full-body suit hugs his figure, insinuating a slender body and legs that go for miles. Her mouth snaps close with a clack when all his attention suddenly focuses on her. “I hope I didn’t hurt you, miss.” He said with a cheeky smile. “Other than your ego, that is.”  
  
Her emerald eyes widen in shock. “W-wha? Ryuichi! Who is this impudent brat!?” By this time, she’s already forgotten about her state of nakedness. “Who are you? How dare you interrupt us!?”  
  
The boy raised an eyebrow, directing his gaze to Asami. “Yeah, _Ryuichi._ Why don’t you explain to our dearest guest just what kind of relationship we have? But before we get to that...” His right hand then moves to make a trail from Asami’s abs, goes up slowly to his pec. Its journey only stops when it rests snugly on the back of his neck. He brings his face closer to Asami’s own smirking one. “I’m very sorry for the interruption.”  
  
He places a well-reciprocated, downright sensual kiss to those lips she has been denied all evening.

  
\-------------

"Stop sending my dates away, Akihito. It may be fun for now, but it has been proven to be a major headache the next day.”  
  
His counterpart lets out a huff, “Date my ass.” The younger one says. After successfully dumping the wailing, whining, and _traumatized _Kiyoshiro Yumika to Asami’s ever faithful Kirishima, they moved one floor down to Sion’s HQ and Akihito is secretly very grateful for the solitude this ridiculously big building gives. “Whatever, it’s not like you were enjoying it anyway.”__  
  
Asami raises an eyebrow, “And you know this because...? I hope playing voyeour is not a new habit you’re currently on?” He says, leaning back to his throne with the backdrop of nighttime Tokyo.  
  
Akihito keeps his face flat, but the mischief in his eyes dances with glee, “It’s not like I did it on purpose. Why would I risk the purity of my eyes by seeing such condemned act? You must be kidding.”  
  
“Are you still sore for not being able to ride the elevator?”  
  
The stretch of silence following his question is enough for an answer if you take into account the red that spreads through Akihito’s face, ears and neck. Without saying anything, the boy he reaches to his bag, fumbling around clumsily, all the while muttering under his breath about _old people and their bad sense of humor _before finally sliding a thumb drive over to Asami who catches it with ease. “That’s everything you need to know for today’s hit. One person, backed up by a bigger group. Not too powerful. However, it seems like they have planned this for quite a while.”__  
  
Asami let’s out a low chuckle while fingering the drive, examining it with his pair of molten gold, “And the air duct too, perhaps? If I recall correctly, someone was blowing a fuse in my face about how Sion is _a Goddamn swiss cheese _? You know I take my security precautions seriously.”__  
  
“Yeah, Bastard. And as you have stated so clearly, could you _please _check the drive. Your so-called security might have depended on it. It’s under-progress as we speak.” He counters with a scowl.__  
  
Asami decides to put the teasing to rest. He plugs the drive in then proceeds with looking through the datas Akihito has put together beforehand. “Ieyasu Hajime? 29 years old. What does someone so dull-looking doing getting himself involved with this?” Asami says under his breath, his eyes glued to the screen. “His records are clean. He doesn’t even look like he could harm a fly.”  
  
“Incoming in 60 seconds.”  
  
“A highly-sought hitman? Paid by Sakaki group...”  
  
“55 seconds. Get your fatass moving, Asami!” he hisses through his teeth.  
  
“A wife and a daughter...in different country? So he has a habit to send them away before _jobs _. Very clever.”__  
  
“40!”  
  
At the sound of Akihito’s almost hypervilanting state, Asami closes the tabs and ejects the drive before passing it back to Akihito. “Where will it come from?” He asks, meticulously donning his suit jacket, but leaving out the tie.  
  
“The west window. From the roof of the apartment building. Special bullet, pointted tip made for proofed glass. A clean shot through the brain, we have 15 seconds. You will turn around, stand up, full-body view. You will fall back to your chair before sliding down to the floor—you won’t get cut from any of the glass. Most of the blood will seeps through the carpet. 9 seconds on the way.”  
  
“Very well.” He says calmly despite the gruesome details.  
  
And Asami does just that he swivels around in his chair, making a show of stretching his limbs as he stands up. He gazes to the far buildings across his, and if he tries hard enough, he could make a crouching figure on one of its tops.  
  
**“NOW!”**  
  
The voice jerks his legs down as the sound of breaking glass echoes through the room. The shards are raining down on him but as Akihito said, none of it cuts to his skin. After some time, he glances back and sees Akihito in the same crouching position, but his eyes are transfixed to the far off wall where a bullet embeds itself just a few moments ago. The emergency siren is blaring on their ears but as their eyes meet, it seems to deafen.  
  
“Holy shit.” The youth gasped. His voice trembles, but his eyes shone with exhilaration. “That was awesome.”  
\-------------


	2. Before The First Bullet

_It’s dark, he can’t even see his own hands as he raises it up to his eyes._  
  
_It’s cold, he can feel the layers of clothing on his skin but somehow, his body is freezing._  
  
_Then a flash of light, and he’s suddenly in the middle of a bustling street._  
  
_He recognizes this place, the heart of Shinjuku, he passes this place for quite some time before for jobs. Some of his clients also resides here. He has been inside most of the office buildings around here, if not all—but one. There, smack-dab in the middle is the only building he hasn’t gotten in. They have never been in need of his services before. However, he golden coling dragon logo somehow beckons him to come closer, and so he does. ___  
  
_A man with a very big build passes through the revolving door, followed by a golden-eyed Raven and a man with glasses, side by side. They seemed to be talking about whatever it is on the papers in front of them, seemingly oblivious to the crowd_.  
  
_Giant, Glasses, and **Gold ****** ___  
  
_Gold goes back in while the other two stays back. He just realizes that there’s a black, sleek Limo parked in front of the door. Not a very wise choice to get away with murder, he thought. Or a bank robbery. But he guess someone who owns a Limo wouldn’t need to do a robbery._  
  
_Giant holds his finger to his ear, there seems to be an earpiece. He talks in hushed tones, his expression hardens._  
  
_Glasses fumbles with his phone. He frowns as he takes a call. He stole a glance to Giant before resuming the talk. Getting more irritated by the second_.  
  
_There’s another car now. Not as eye-catching as the previous one, surely it will blends easily in the crowd. Now this, is the best choice for crime. But he could see the numbers, may not be that hard to find if they can just track the numbers._  
  
_The car slows down, but the two men are too busy to notice. Their last member finally emerges from the door with a new stack of paper in hand. The wind is quite strong today, it plays with some of the man’s loose hair that’s not slicked back._  
  
_Then there was a shot._  
  
_Two._  
  
_Three._  
  
_He brought his hands to cover his mouth, his face scrunched up in disbelief. Strangely, the only thought that passes his mind was sadness, anger, and heartbreak. All meant for the newcomer’s body. On his head, on his chest, on his stomach. The one on his head only grazes his right temple, but he’s not so lucky with the others. The bullet might have missed his heart, but his lung can’t say the same. It seems like the last bullet didn’t pass through, mingling in his intestines along with his probably very expensive lunch. Giant and Glasses are moving so fast now despite being so relaxed just before. They barked all kind of order to the people around them as Gold bleed profusely on the ground. Glasses carefully lifts his neck, supporting his head as he talks to the phone and to the man on his cradle. Giant puts pressure in his wounds, trying to slows the rich flow of red. Those golden eyes are still moving, his breathing is wet, labored and heavy, but he’s alive. Relief washes over him. **But for how long? ******_ ** ******  
  
_An odd force pulls him to Gold’s direction, fills him with the overwhelming urge to kneel beside him, just after Glasses left his post to attend to other things around them. He finds himself trying to touch Gold, to ensure him that he is alright, but he could never touch them before, so he stopped mid-air._  
  
_Those golden eyes find his. And they stared at each other for a long time._  
  


\-------------  
  
He wakes with a start.  
  
His body is clammy and the t-shirt-boxer combo he always wears to sleep is now sticking to his skin. Twin tracks of fresh tears run down his cheek. He reaches for a glass of water on the bedside table, taking it with shaky hands and jerky movements. He’s used to those dreams but he has always been a bystander. Detached from the comotion going on as he sees someone’s final moment of life. Yet for the first time, he’s no longer able to pass it as _just a dream_.  
  
The problem is, he knows those are not mere dreams. It’s some kind of prophecy. At first, he ignores it, but they keep on coming and the frequency is getting higher. In one night, he could jump from one place to another, witnessing the death of five people, before finally waking up in his own room with tears down his cheeks. He has been dreaming about people’s death since he was 7, he was not an outgoing kid, and most of the faces and places are not familiar to him. And he’s sure of it, since he has something that peopla call a Photographic Memory. Sounds fancy, eh? Basically, he just needs to see it once to remember everything, down to the last details. Pretty neat for someone living in the slums like him.  
  
Until one day, he witnessed his mother’s death.  
  
Her mother was not a saint, or an angel. If anything she was the devil incarnate towards him with all the beatings he received everyday. But seeing her brutally stabbed with a knife on her way home is still not something a child wishes to see. There was three to four people, all dressed in black. They only stopped when she stopped screaming, and moving, and mangled, and destroyed, and doesn’t resemble any human shape safe from her face that was strangely untouched. They left her body by the side of the road. He remembers the mean glint of the knife, remembers the way his mother’s mouth opens in a silent scream. He remembers that she was stabbed in the chest three times, her stomach five times, her back twice. He remembers every cut, where the blood flows, and how eerily silent the street was. It was late, sure, around 11 pm, but he knows that the surrounding houses would have heard his mother’s first scream, or the sound of struggles. They were not especially silent in that term.  
  
He tried to forget, _but he couldn’t._  
  
When his mother came home that night, he ran to hug her. It was worth the beatings he got after that. Though she died in that exact manner the next day.  
  
Following the death of his mother, he wandered around the slum, all by himself. His so-called father never shows up, yet the dreams never left him alone. It gets worse as he gets older. Sometimes, they don’t visit him only in his sleep anymore. He starts to see the signs around someone when their end comes near, sees snippets of death in-between hia daily activities. When he’s 10, he comes to term with himself that it’s just the way it is.  
  
However, as a homeless kid, he still got hit time to time, but he also gets better at running. Another thing he gets better at is stealing. Being the kid of the slums, he knows his way through the alley and ratways spread all-over the country, having his fair-share of getting lost too in the process. His body is made for agility, and he quickly become an elusive mice, found a small, tight band of people whom he can trust, and has been lliving as a legitimate street-rat ever since.  
  
So what does that make him, now? He wouldn’t call himself ‘good’, he has been way too tainted to be called ‘pure’. He does honest work with his friends now, as an information broker—what with his agility and ability, finding informations proved to be much easier–where people come for them to find things. Usually company secrets, hideouts, illegal transactions. He has connections, build his reputation among the slums and the police, they come to him for shits they can’t find, but he has also done despicable things in the past. People say your parents don’t decide who you are, but he’s not ashamed to say he sucked cock before to be able to eat, or beat people up for money. All narrows down to him as survival.  
  
He thought he was crazy, if he was not back then, he sure is now with all that he has been through. Where to begin? Takaba Akihito is not your everyday early-twenties. That’s for sure. To start it off, his family dynamic is pretty fucked up. His late mother was a prostitute (he thought that’s why he’s so good at pleasing men and women alike), he’s an unwanted child born out of rape—or so his mother said, and spent most of his childhood neglected. His father...for some reason he doesn’t know what his father looks like, despite him being in the house not just once. His mother would always lock him in the cupboard when said man comes, then the both of them would talk in a loud volume. Same topic everytime. How his mother wanted to go with him and she can’t take it anymore. While his father would talk in a slightly annoyed tone on it’s all your fault and no matter what, he’s no son of mine. If his mother persisted, he would beat her black and blue. Sometimes red (He knows how that feel too, when you just can’t stand it and really need to unleash whatever it is or it seems like you’re going to explode).  
  
When he finally went home, his mother would unlock the cupboard, slaps him for a few times, before pulling his hair back in a tight grip, all the while looking disgusted and hateful. “If only you died that day.” She would whisper to his ear then shove him to the floor.  
  
Some mother she was.  
  
At some point, he decided that there must be a reason for his ability. He takes notice that it happens on 30 meter radius, to anyone and everyone, for at least the next 24 hours. The further his position is from spectating the scene, said person have more days to live. He doesn’t have to see them beforehand, doesn’t have to know their name, but he shares a bond with them deeper than anyone else, and he tries to save them.  
  
The first dozen is a failure.  
  
He would tell them about his visions, some would brush it off, some other would think he’s crazy and beat him up, and the rest would cower in fear—accusing him to be an omen—and beat him too. He tried to manipulate their surroundings, tried to make them avoid anything that will lead to their last moments, but all he managed to do is to kill them in different situations.  
  
First point, _you couldn’t tell them directly_. Unless you want to be seen as a lunatic, that is, or unless it’s very necessary.  
  
Second point, _don’t ever try to change the future **too much**_  
  
From trial and error, he learned that the best of course of action is to just let it be. Until the last second, that is. Think of it like pushing someone out of the way the moment a car supposed to hit, or innocently ask them the time so they will not cross the road just yet. He has the point of advantage from knowing where danger will come if he let it happen naturally. Imagine a mugging, and the mugger realized that their soon-to-be victim knows what happen next. The first hing that comes to mind would be changing their approach. And Akihito don’t always see the plan B, unless it happens a few days after.  
  
How does his agility and ability work hand-in-hand to make him so popular in his line of work you ask? Easy. Agility allows him perching up high trees, climb buildings, moreover, his past thievery helps him with his stealth, sneaking and snatching is a piece of cake. His memory stores all the juiciest bits that may be useful later. Though he still needs to bring his camera around for the sake of prove (and blackmail materials, you can;t exactly sell a story without evidence). His ability comes in handy when around the area, someone is going to die. Serves as a diversion, sometimes, or threat. Something like _you better tell me or something bad will happen around you and no, it’s not my doing. It’s the higher ups_. People are strangely weak to superstitions.  
  
Now. Back to his latest dream. As stated before, he’s a spectator. Just like a movie-goers enjoying a massacre on screen. He has never been a part of it, never find himself feeling anything for the victim, never find any sort of emotional attachment, but that was different. That was anguish he felt back then, the feeling of hopelessness when you can’t do anything to someone who needs it the most. He remembers feeling resentful to whomever did that. He’s curious, but he’s not so happy with the idea of finding out.  
  


\-------------

  
_“Who did this!?” He hears his own scream echoes in what looks like a warehouse._  
  
_It’s a continuation of yesterday’s nightmare, perhaps. He’s not sure. Gold is there. Tied to the chair, shirtless, barefoot. His head, chest, and stomach are wrapped in bandages, just likehow he thought it would be considering his injuries yesterday (though it may not be necessary since the wounds are reopened anyway and the once white fabric is now a various shades of red, black, and brown). But the bandages on his head is covering something bigger than a graze wound, and his left arm is sporting a broken cast. His arms were finde yesterday. And for some reason, he even knows how Gold gets here—by being shoved unceremoniously to a black van, straight from his private room in the biggest hospital Japan has. People in front of his rooms are either knocked out or dead. It’s ridiculously easy._  
  
_And it makes him angry._  
  
_Where were Glasses and Giant? Shouldn’t they be by his side forever and always? He doesn’t even know why he thinks that. They might have only been there the first time becase they need to be together. There’s no prove to show that their relationship goes beyond._  
  
_Despite his disappointment to Glasses and Giant, his anger is more directed to whoever did this to Gold. Gold might have be an asshole to them, he might kill their puppies, he might steal the last slice of pizza under everyone’s nose, he might play God-awful music at 3 am in the morning but you just don’t kidnap a wounded, dying person from their luxurious hospital beds then beat their unconcious ass for 5 hours with baseball bats!_  
  
_He finds himself crying his heart out. Gold is not moving, and even if he’s breathing, it must have been very-very weak because he’s as still as a statue. He could’ve been dead for all he knows, and the uncertainty scares him._  
  
_He has never been scared of his dreams before. Repulsed? Yes. But never scared._  
_He finds himself kneeling in front of Gold, not caring about the pool of blood that soaks through his pajama pants, examining his bandages and wounds. He keeps on saying sorry, for something that he doesn’t even know what._  
  
_“I’m sorry Ry-“_  


  
\--------------  
  


That was the first time he dreamt about the same person more than once. It’s been three days since his first dream of Gold, and from his watching position, he should’ve been dead two days ago. Proven to be wrong since he’s still dreaming about him (ew, sounds wrong) in an even more horrifying scene. That warehouse needs a lot of bleach after that, and either you have to repaint the chair or just throw it away altogether.  
  
He remembers waking up screaming. His heart aches in ways he never thought possible, trying to force its way out from his ribcage. Whoever Gold is, Akihito sures he’s going to be nothing but trouble.  
  
A call brings him back to reality. A quick look to the screen got him cursing. He answers it, places it on his ear, suspended by the shoulder as he hops around the room to try and find his only pair of somewhat clean jeans at the moment. “Yea, Natsu?”  
  
“Tell me you’re at least ready to leave.” The caller states in monotone. He winces inwardly, phone in hand now, he takes the topmost shirt of the pile and put it on.  
  
“Sure, uh, wait a sec! I was just heading out. Eh, I suppose you don’t have breakfast for me, do you?” He jerks his door open and finds a ver pissed off Natsu leaning to his side of the wall with a paperbag from his favorite junk-food join. “Sweet!”  
  
Natsu rolls his eyes in annoyance. “You’re barely awake. What happened to 6 sharp?” He tries to swat Akihito’s wandering hands from the goodness inside his paperbag,but his efforts are futile. Akihito and food have some kind of deep spiritual bond that is unbreakable. “Imagine being me, waking up at ungodly hour so I can bring you this kind of luxury. Please remember we have bills to pay, Aki, this house won’t tend to itself.”  
  
“It’s 6!” He counters with a mouthful of double cheese burger. “And I was having an ‘episode’. Spare me!”  
  
Natsu’s expression takes a 180 to that of a concerned older brother. “It’s awfully frequent this week. You sure nothing bad is going to happen, Aki? You had always been way too reckless for your own good.”  
  
Natsu knows about his ‘condition’ and has witnessed the truth of it more than he can count. He is also the very first person Akihito befriends since he decided to throw everything to the wind. Natsu is—was—a goody two shoes his father told him to be, coming from an old wealth family as the first son makes people put all kind of expectations on his head. He’s a few years older, slightly taller, and wears piercings like a badge of honor. The first one earned him a slap, the second one earned him two punches and a broken ankle, the third, fourth, and forth; well, he’s no longer around his family to find out what they’d do. Despite his total badass look, he’s such a softy, and also his partner in crime. Back then, they’d cooperate to steal. Natsu will distract people with his crass attitude while Aki slips behind them unnoticed. Or Aki would seduce their victim, playing the hopeless innocent that can’t fend for himself until Natsu hit their head before stealing their then run together with grins so wide they almost split their face.  
  
“I’m not so sure about that.” Akihito contemplates, licking his hands clean from ketchup and mustard. “But we have work to do, don’t we? I don’t want to jinx it with talk about misfortune.”  
  
Natsu says nothing as they climbed to their old Dodge Viper. Although they only have one stakeout and the rest are deliveries, he also know that arguing with Akihito is a lost cause. Might as well talkto the wall.  
  
“SO where are we going for delivery today?”  
  
“Shinjuku.”  


\-------------

  
A sense of De ja Vu washes over him like tidal waves. Natsu is somewhere else for a job that just came through and decided by himself that _it’s enough work for little Aki today_ , ruffles his hair, and left before he could climb back on to the shotgun seat. And now here he stands, waiting with throngs of people to cross the road. Sion inc. is clearly visible, despite being a few blocks away from the pedestrian crossing. And there’s an itch to run eventhough he’s in no hurry. But that coiling dragon beckons him, and he needs to go. Thankfully, the light finally turns green and his sight is blocked by other people as they move forward. He breaks out of his trance., instinctively follows, mingling in the sea of human, feeling overcrowded and lonely at the same time.  
  
The first thing he notices is the Limo.  
  
He watches with dread as _Giant—blond hair, big stature, pressed suit_ —walks out the door. Not so long after that, out _Glasses and Gold—so serious, all business, not knowing that they’re facing their demise_ —before Gold gets back in to retrieve whatever important shit that their pretty little heads forgot to bring.  
  
Now the super dull car come to view, moving in a relaxed pace. Akihito whips his head to Glasses and Giant. _Morons!_ He needs to tell them, he has to tell them, but of course he couldn’t! Remember first point, then the second. _How are you going to stop this? How are you going to save him, Akihito? Think!_ But time is running out, he can sense it in the air. Gold will come out the door any moment now and bleeds to death because _Akihito is such a useless piece of shit_.  
  
So he runs.  
  
He doesn’t have any plan, he doesn’t even care if he looks stupid. He’s close now and Gold is appearing from the door.  
  
He steals a glance to the side, his hazel pair widen as the window rolls down.  
  
There he is. So close, so close!  
  
**“GOLD! DON’T YOU DARE DYING ON ME!”**  
  
There's gunshot and collision. Aki swears he heard someone screams. That was foolish, he knows that, stop preaching. But he didn't find any other way except for throwing himself to _Gold _, which, by any means, is still lying under him. Shocked, astonished, and amused.__  
  
Mostly amused.  
  
That, was how Takaba Akihito met Asami Ryuichi.  
\-------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's all over the place, needs something stronger than warm milk to keep my brain on track


	3. Trigger Finger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Either it's in or out, no in between

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who crawled out of their grave :)
> 
> And you might one to reread the second chapter since I revised it a bit. It's a small tweak, but probably would have played a pretty big role of the story

**Have you ever heard of The Children of The Night?**  
  
**This is a story that goes all the way back to the creation of humankind.**  
  
\-------  
  
It was just one damn paper, yet holds the most important statistic on how he has been swindled by some scum. One goddamn paper that he risks his valuable time to retrieve. Apparently, that piece of paper also risked his life. He saw the car, he saw the gun, but his body won’t move. He didn’t have time to warn Kirishima nor Suoh and however trained he is, he’s not be able to pull some matrix stuff and dodge the bullet that was yet to come.  
  
He remembers feeling like floating in a trance while time slows and each scene plays frame by frame. _Funny_ , he thought back then, _let’s just hope they can’t actually aim._  
  
Asami Ryuichi has never been one for superstitions, he’s hardly religious. He knows there’s a God somewhere but never pegs himself as a believer. What lies after death? Nothing. And he’s prepared to welcome this nothingness.  
  
If five hours ago—at the time when one of his business partner who fucked their deal up so they can gain more profit get shot right between their beady eyes—somebody told him that an angel sent from heaven will safe him from death, he’d probably shoot them as well.  
  
But here we are.  
  
Gold meets hazel, and both of them are saying nothing. His savior’s expression is a battlefield between relief and horror—each side trying to dominate the other while his hands are clutched to the lapels of Asami’s Armani suit jacket. Silence ensues around them until Kirishima, the drama queen he is, screamed _how come you let them get away!?_ in his best scandalized voice.  
  
That was very effective to break the spell as the boy quickly _stumbles_ to stand, and almost plants his face on the pavement. Asami puts an arm on his waist when his wobbly legs are still too much in a shocked state to stand properly. After an embarrassed stutter of thank you, he detaches himself, strangely missing the warmth the other provided. He almost, almost reaches out his hand, if not for a big shadow that fall over them.  
  
“Are you alright, Asami-sama?” Suoh approaches. His face guilt-stricken, his hair a mess. “I apologize for not noticing the situation earlier, Sir. If you wish, I’ll have the resign letter by Monday morning. I’m afraid that I will need some time to wrap things up.” He bows so deep his head is almost the same level with his knees.  
  
It’s rare to see the usually composed Suoh in this state, and even the thought of it is unsettling. Asami pulls out his Dunhill pack from the suit’s inner pocket, then Suoh steps up to offer him the light. They move seamlessly, like well oiled cogs of a machine. “Did Kirishima notice the car, Suoh?”  
  
“He did not, Sir.”  
  
He takes a drag, feeling the nicotine streams through his lungs and blood vessels. As he lets the smoke out, his over cumulated stress of the day too blown along with it. “Did I notice the car?”  
  
“I…don’t know, Sir.”  
  
“I did.” He takes another drag, watching it curls around them like a fog. “I did, and I said nothing.”  
  
“Sir?”  
  
“I welcomed it, I could’ve warned you both, but I chose not to.” He steals a glance at Kirishima. Still yelling at his phone, pulling strings and what not to resolve this problem. “It’s my fault, Kazumi. Will you forgive an old friend’s egoistical moment?”  
  
Burdens seem to lift from Suoh’s shoulders. He stands straighter, a head taller than Asami. His gaze firmer, confidence back in place, “What were you thinking?” He asks. At the same time, Kirishima finishes his call and makes a bee line to them. His face a mixture of stress and relief, if such thing possible.  
  
“The police are on their way, it won’t cause any trouble since it looks like regular muggings. In fact, we still don’t know the motive. However, the culprits are gone, and none of us catches their vehicle number. We need records from street cameras on this area. One of our men is already on it.”  
  
Asami nods curtly. _Then everything is under control._ As he crushes the cigarette on the pavement, he’s suddenly aware of being forgotten about something important.  
  
“Say, did you see the teenage boy that just body slams me out of harm’s way?”  
  
\-------  
  
**Long ago, God created the very first human, a man called Adam. Unknown to most, alongside him, He created a woman, from the very same earth he was born. He called her Lilith, a beauty made to be Adam’s companion so he won’t be alone.**  
  
**But she was too much for him. Too stubborn, too clever, too independent, too willful.**  
  
**This starts with the birth of Lilith, and her sin of disobedience.**  
  
\-------  
  
That was a close call.  
  
Akihito may not be new to Japan’s glittering world of celebrities, he has his fair share of selling their private information to those who’s willing to pay—mostly gossip reporters that can’t get a scoop. Ha!—but he has never, ever, seen someone that hot up close.  
  
Oh he’s seen Gold plenty of times, unconscious, bloody, and dying. And it seems like his dream vision doesn’t do the man any justice. Seriously, that guy was sex on legs, he’s not gonna lie.  
  
He almost got a boner, but that’s not a story he’s willing to share.  
  
And now, he’s on the run from probably the hottest man in the planet. Why? Because he’s Asami _fucking_ Ryuichi. The ruler of Japan, in the flesh. She knows what Asami Ryuichi does beneath his dashing super businessman persona, most people in the slums know. He practically owns Japan behind the curtain, from shady underworld dealings to political shits Aki doesn’t understand. Some people, mostly lazy, petty rivals pay him to find the prove of dirt that will smudge the ever shining name, but no one can pay his rate, so that man is safe from Akihito’s prying eyes for now.  
  
Akihito has heard about Asami Ryuichi, _The_ Asami Ryuichi. But he never thought about meeting the man in flesh. He didn’t even know what the business mogul looks like before today! Well, technically, no, but he didn’t know that Gold is Asami Ryuichi, right? He barely has the time to watch tv nowadays, and most news he get from what goes around in the slums are much more accurate than mainstream media anyways.  
  
He also knows that Sion inc. is owned by him, but what are the odds that the big bad boss will be targeted right in front of his own turf? And he, Akihito, the epitome of no one, was actually closer to him than most people ever aspire to be? Silly how the world works sometimes.  
  
But that’s it. However dreamy it sounds, it must stop there. His life isn’t la vie en rose. And most likely, if he associates himself with the likes of Asami Ryuichi, it will get worse.  
  
As he arrives on the small house he shares with Natsu, he can’t help but feel giddy because gossip. He needs to share his misadventure to him and upon seeing their car parked in front of the house it only gets a notch higher. The rush of excitement however tampered down once he realizes that none of the lights are on yet. “Did Natsu run an errand after going home?” He muses. He searches through the house for Natsu, even as far as his own room—which is, quoting him, “The sanctuary of someone who have to deal with your shit everyday, kindly stay away.”—only to find it empty.  
  
Find Natsu mission turns out to be a fluke, so he goes straight to her room with a glass of water. “Man, I’m beat.” he stretches his arms upwards, letting go the kinks from stakeouts and super tackle that just safe a King’s life. “Should’ve asked for a reward first before bolting up, huh? Now I’m hungry again.”  
  
“We can always go back to that.”  
  
No.  
  
Unreal.  
  
Akihito spins so fast he gets dizzy, but he’s not imagining things when he sees Asami Ryuichi (just how many times have he said that name in his head for the past 10 minutes?) standing right there, with Dunhill lit and both hands inside his pockets. Hot damn. Hardly the time, but it’s worth it.  
  
And oh—OH—that’s where Natsu went, gagged and tied to a chair, fuming like no tomorrow. No offense, but being side to side with Asami makes him look like a bristling kitten in front of a, well, mafia boss? Akihito shoots him a look, asking for answers that he knew he wouldn’t get.  
  
“Hello again, Asami-sama. To what do I owe this pleasure?” he said as casually as possible. He schools his expression to that of indifference as he meets those piercing orbs head on. Even in this poor lighting, that man looks scrumptious.  
  
Asami exhales a plume of smoke. The image makes everything seems all the more surreal to Aki. “I believe I was being rude. You did safe my life, after all.” Inhale, exhale. Unconsciously, Akihito breathes with the same rhythm. “Now what kind of man I am to forgot expressing my gratitude?” Oh, sounds good. But for God’s sake, those eyes are practically eating him alive while that (sexy) smirk is downright evil. He wonders if Asami isn’t a crimelord he’d be an underwear model.  
  
“Aha, well, thanks, but no thanks. I’m kinda tired. Maybe some other time…?” Like _never?_ “And uh, can you please let my friend go? I bet it’s uncomfortable and he doesn’t like being uncomfortable. You’re right about being rude part, I mean, who came to other people’s house unannounced then kidnap their host? There must be some etiquette about that.” _Very smooth, Akihito, you and your verbal diarrhea once you start panicking._  
  
Asami Ryuichi lifts an eyebrow, one side of his mouth quirks upward. “A friend, eh?” He says as he shares a look to Natsu, who only blushes and getting paler, at the same time, if that’s even possible. “Well, I’m not exactly a saint, Kid, though I’m a very good judge of character. You and your friend here aren’t exactly the law abiding citizen either, are you?”  
  
“No, but we don’t break into people’s house and tie people up either.” He huffs.  
  
“Look, I’m not here to do anything bad—“ both Akihito and Natsu roll their eyes—“Desperate time calls for desperate measure. I was genuinely trying to show my gratitude, but the surveillance come up with nothing about you; no background, no face recognition, no name, no family, no one. That is, until we found out that you have recent contact with Oda Natsu- over here, the first and runaway son of Oda Lee did we able to locate you both. And your friend was not very accommodating as a host, so I don’t feel guilty.”  
  
Natsu bristles again, his feet are not tied and now they’re stomping the ground in annoyance. He’s screaming about something, muffled and probably filtered off of profanities by the cloth gag around his mouth.  
  
“You really don’t have to, Sir.” Akihito quickly replies, not trusting Natsu and his mumbled complain about society to get them off this situation. “I mean, I helped you not because I was trying to gain anything from it, so we’re good I guess?”  
  
“I insist.” Asami says, his tone changes only slightly and yet the atmosphere of the room suddenly get very, very different. “Like I said, we were looking into the surveillance camera to find you, but we also found something…quite unusual. You see, the car that came towards us was very common, yet we saw you, running, from the end of the block to Sion, even when there seemed to be no apparent reason.”  
  
Akihito and Natsu shares a deep conversation telepathically on _holy fuck, you saved his life!_ And _no way, you were dreaming about him didn’t you?_ and _shit, he’s suspicious_. through their eyes. Akihito feels his heart is doing somersaults right now, he’s threading on eggshells. He doesn’t know how much Asami fucking Ryuichi knows about his ability, and he has no idea on how he currently perceives it—welp, trapped between a rock and a hard place never fits so well until today.  
But whatever it is, he needs a comeback to appease Asami’s…curiosity? If you can call a sweet laced threat that.  
  
“I…I uh, I h-have a good instinct…?”  
  
Somewhere in the back of Oda Natsu’s mind, he has never screamed so loud out of frustration.  
  
\-------  
  
**“I will not lie below you.” Lilith said. For she believed that they were equal. The she wouldn’t become the submisive one just because Adam wants her to.**  
  
**Adam wasn’t very keen of the idea. He said, “I will not lie beneath you, I will be on top. You are only fit to bow down to me, while I, the superior one.”**  
  
**“None of us are more superior than the other. We were made from the same earth!”**  
  
**one of them were willing to give in, seeing this, Lilith said God’s name in anger, and decided to leave. Adam confided to the Lord, saying, “O Lord, the woman you gave him me fly away!” Then God sent three angels to brought her back. Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof.**  
  
**He said, “If she’s willing to come back, then so be it. If she refuses, then she must allow a hundred of her children die every day.” And the angels were off to find her. They met in the middle of the sea, where Moses’ vile Egyptian King were suppposed to drown. They tried to bring her back, they threatened to drown her, yet she doesn’t change her mind at all. So the angels told her the conditions The Almighty had set for her, and she agrees.**  
  
**Then God created Eve for Adam, so he won’t be lonely. Fair and frail, made of his ribs. Meek and submissive, so she won’t run away. And she was the reason behind human’s very first sin.**  
  
\-------  
  
“We can do this in an easy way, or the hard way. Whichever you choose, Brat.  
  
First, how come we couldn’t find you in any database?”  
  
“Dear everything that is holy! For the nth time, Kirishima-san, I’m a ghost. I’m not supposed to exist, I was born out of wedlock, disowned, and live by myself my whole life.”  
  
Glasses—Kirishima Kei—nods. “Second, what are your connections with these people?”  
  
You know, at first, he thought that Glasses is like okay for a dude. You know, the kind that you don’t mind waking up together in the morning after getting shit-faced and suffering from hangover. Then they would cure it with _hot chocolate and other giggly little shits_ , get shit-faced again, then wakes up with a totally different person the next day. Akihito was willing to be generous and grant him one night on his bed.  
  
But that was before. Now, Glasses wouldn’t get pass the front door.  
  
“I’m telling you, again, that I’ve got nothing to do with them.” Using her chin to point at the three people tied just like him, but gagged just a few paces away— _Gorillas, that’s what they are, with those stupid uniform brown tracksuit and muscles_ —since both of his hands are tied above his head. To make it worse, he’s the only one suspended by the air. “And no, I am not one of Your Majesty Asami Ryuichi The Great’s fan like you so kindly suggests. Nuh-uh. Not happening. Not in a million years. I’ve only learned his name when you screamed it on my ear to get off him. I saw the signs, okay? I trusted my instict.”  
  
There’s an amused snort from somewhere. Just great, his whole existence is a joke.  
  
“You told us that. Good reason, not convincing at all.”  
  
Yeah right. And what did they expect him to say? That he saw them, all 4Gs in his dream? That he knows exactly what will happen next if he didn’t do what he just did and it’s not pretty? If Glasses and Giant are as loyal as they claimed to Gold, they should be groveling on the ground by now, worshipping his every toes.  
  
But of course he wouldn’t say that. Don’t be silly.  
  
Not after Asami fucking Ryuichi (he bets both of his kidneys that that is his actual name, that’s the middle name he has in his birth certificate, or what his mother was trying to name him before the doctors and the nurses decided to keep it clean and PG) narrowed his eyes on him, back in his room like he’s a math teacher and Akihito is one of his stupidest student that just answered 3 x 5 with 42 because _it’s the answer to every question, that’s the meaning of life_. He never went to school, he doesn’t know how scary math teachers are except from what Natsu told him, but he’s pretty sure he’s about to piss herself.  
  
After the starematch from hell, his phone was ringing. He apparently needed to be somewhere else, and guess what? He took Akihito with him, hoisted him up like a sack of potato he is as if he weighed nothing and left poor Natsu in his binds while saying something along the line of _the knots are kinda loose so you’d be able to escape in no time._  
  
And here they are now, with Akihito very close to confessing about his supposed gift in front of stupid scary suave strangers.  
  
Instead, he shrugs as best as his posture allows, “Then that’s it. I was telling you the truth. I might be able to cook some new more convincing excuses if big fella over there did not punch my gut repeatedly back then? Who knows? He packs a mean punch, I swear. Meaner than your glasses.”  
  
“Why you little piece of—“  
  
“—That’s enough, Kei.” An authoritative voice comes from the shadows. “I believe our other guest would provide us with better answers. You can go to them, take Kazumi with you. While I...will have a little chat with this hellcat for a minute.”  
  
Glasses and Giant ( _dumb and dumber_ , her mind provides) do the perfect 90 degrees before moving on. That was crazy. What’s crazier is Gold, Asami Ryuichi, just stepped out straight out of the darkness like he actually belongs there and now decided to grace the mortal world with his presence.  
  
“Akihito?” He asks. His smile is very warm yet the glint in his eyes is downright predatory. “How rude of me. I put you in this situation while you have oh-so-heroically saved my life. Please allow me to offer my deepest apology, and of course, gratitude.” And oh boy, demons have wings, do they? So why is this one don’t sport any while looking like the part? Life is a mystery.  
  
He’s seen Gold before, he knows what him dying like, he knows what his unconcious state like, he has witnessed him beaten up and bloody, but this? This perfectly healthy man oozes power from his every pore. Tall, fit, mature, and hot as hell. He looks good, he knows he looks good. He’s confident and uses it to his advantage. His figure is drool-worthy, the kind of man Akihito would notice on the pub even before drinking. **_Three men, strung up, beaten to the core_**. What? **_He stands right behind them now, first-class seat to their hairy ass. Their ugly tracksuits are gone, beer bellies gutted like fish. The whole room smells like blood and piss._**  
  
He blinks, once, twice. But the images conjures behind his eyes like some sick, twisted slideshow. His head moves slowly to see the three faces of his prophecy just a few steps away.  
  
**_Gorilla one is dead, Gorilla two is dying, Gorilla three is still breathing, but not for long. Not after Glasses breaks his kneecaps with a hammer. Not after Suoh clips his fingers with a dull, rusty scissor. And if he’s still alive after that, he won’t, after the Golden eyed devil shove the heated rod down his throat._**  
  
Blood drains from his face. All kinds of warnings are buzzing in his head. This man wears danger like clothes, not to mention cocky as fuck. Maybe Gorillas were the good guys all along? Were they cops? Were they trying to save humanity by killing the man in front of him? Maybe he should’ve just left him die?  
  
“I’m sorry that you feel that way. But they’re not cops, I assure you. ”  
  
Oh...he said that out loud, didn’t he?  
  
The bright eyed man let out a hearty chuckle. He comes closer, closer than Akihito would like it to be in case he’s talking to a first-grade murderer. “Yes, yes you did. Such an adorable little thing you are. Honest boys should be rewarded, right?” One gloved hand find a place on his cheek, the thumb starts moving in a circular motion. “Would you like to have dinner with me? I need to pay you back, afterall. I promise I will take care of you real good before you get home after.” That last part was whispered directly, seductively to his ear.  
  
WHOA, mayday, mayday! His nonexistent chastity and innocence are in danger! Actually, his whole life is in danger!  
  
“Uh, yea, no, about that—you see—I told everything to Glasses over there, I—I guess you know about that since you were kinda like eavesdropping on us, that’s right, I was honest. I was good. I have been behaving. I even eat that blasted cucumber from my burger this morning!” Great going, Akihito. You and you verbal diarrhea on panicked state. “And, and...my parents! They always told me that _good boys ain’t talking to strangers, they went straight home before the sun sets!_ So I really, really need to go! They got very worried when I’m not home by...sorry, what time is it?”  
  
Asami raises an eyebrow, then his right hand. Checking a watch that looks like it could pay his bills for years. “It’s almost 5.”/br >  
“5! Oh My! Look at the time! Ha! _Funny that you just did, right?_ I need to go home before 3!”  
  
“It was 3 when we met. You don’t live with your parents.”  
  
“Please don’t mind the details.” Just perfect, Akihito. You and your stupid, ugly mouth.  
  
“I beg to differ, those lips are very smart, and tempting, if I say myself.”  
  
Fuck him sideways.  
  
“Never knew you’re the kinky type.”  
  
“...”  
  
\-------------  
  
Asami Ryuichi is having a hard time keeping his hands to himself.  
  
Oh no, it needs a lot of restrain to stop himself from touching this sweet-looking, juicy little morsel besides him, complete with his peachy mouth and untamed attitude. And that tight little ass just needs loads of love taps.  
  
They’re now both sitting inside the limo. The three _Gorillas_ are being transferred to warehouse number 43 to be dealt with later. He believes that after all hell tat he’s been through today, this Akihito must have been heaven sent to let him unwind at least for the night. he’s like an entertaining pandora box that’s full of contradictions. One moment he’s as unrefined as a dock worker, then he would stutter politely in embarassment when he offers him any drinks inside the mini fridge. You won’t get him crack a word about himself, but once he’s showing interest about something, he won’t shut up about it. He’s not afraid to voice his opinion, not ashamed about who he is. He doesn’t bow to Asami’s every command like most. Akihito is a breath of fresh air.  
  
Dare to say, Asami Ryuichi, even after his long list of glittering ex-lovers, wants to keep this anomaly of a creature for himself. Call it greed, call it lust, name all the sins to explain the pure and not so pure intentions that riddles even himself towards this boy. He’s not letting him go soon. Mostly after he’s able to prove himself to be different from the others with half their usual effort.  
  
Various scenario runs through his usually business-muddled brain. What should he do to make one boy called Akihito lets down his guard?  
  
“Say, Aki-kun.” Intimate as hell because he’s Asami fucking Ryuichi, and what he wants, he gets. “I think, aside from your action, your words were the one that saved me first.”  
  
Akihito, with iced tea in hand because _alcohols don’t do him justice_ turns his head but not his eyes. They’re still glued to the street, watching the lights from videotrons and other vehicles pass by. “Hmm? Whatever you mean?” he asks. Totally oblivious of what comes next.  
  
Asami’s smile widen by the second. So unpredictable yet easily lured, he thought. “If I remember correctly, I am flattered that you picked a nickname for me. You were calling me **Gol—mph!** ”  
  
Two palms are now sealing his mouth, accompanied with a pair of hazel that’s now focusing only on him—he doesn’t know why but he feels very satisfied for that.  
  
“Shut it, dude. That’s like, you know, those, uh, code. Because it’s hard to call Glasses with Kirishima all the time, or Giant on Suoh! And more importantly, I didn’t know any of your name to begin with, so I need to feed my brain with something!”  
  
He frowns. His words bring him back to what happened a few hours a go. It was an error on their part. The three of them were too relaxed, it’s been months since they were last attacked and no one is no longer stupid enough to try and take on Asami Ryuichi. However, just like everything bad in this world, there’s no end to stupidity, and it seems like it affected them too. Those three amateurs would have taken his life right then and there if not for the little hellion called Akihito.  
  
Kei was just pissed that a kid almost young enough to be his son is able to detect dangers from afar while he was standing right there with Suoh. That interrogation, however needed, was mostly venting anger in disguise. Poor little lamb caught in three wolves’ claws.  
  
That raises another question. How? According to the cameras, Gorillas didn’t take out their gun before they were right in front of Sion HQ. However, before that, Akihito was already running towards them in a panicked state while he did not look like he was in a hurry before. What triggers that reaction?  
  
Yet another puzzle to be solved. Asami doesn’t remember when was the last time he felt this pumped.  
  
“Still, I’m happy you choose Gold for my code. Makes me feel like a royalty.” He smirks. Oh how he knows that smirk will just infuriates him more.  
  
His eyes narrow and, voice comes in a hiss, “Keep that up and I’ll change it to _Geezer._ ”  
  
Asami quirks an eyebrow, amused, challenged, and intrigued at the same time, He also doesn’t remember when was the last time he felt anything at all. “What’s with you and the letter ‘G’?” It's like he has memorized every word from the dictionary. "That’s not fair, if we all have one, why don't you?”  
  
Akihito rolls his eyes, leans back to his chair and sips his iced tea. “You sounded like that popular kid at the playground that get rejected for the first time.” His gaze is now back to the heavily tinted window. “Fine, but YOU give me one. It must start with the letter ‘G’”  
  
“I’ll think of something decent.”  
  
The ride is silent after that. But not the uncomfortable kind. Somehow, it feels so natural to have this boy beside him. Just like when he rides the limo by himself. Which makes it weird. He’s not alone, he’s aware of the strange presence by his side. But after today, he’s not sure he will have it any other way.  
  
\---------  
  
**Afterward, Lilith, the most powerful witch of all, found a place beside the Archangel Samael, the accuser, seducer, and destroyer. He was the good and the bad, the archangel of death whom stays by the God’s side despite the sins he admitted. He resides on the seventh, leads those who resides on fifth. He makes the morning star's pride and vanity nothing but child's play. Then together, they have children. The very first children of the night, with powers so great they were feared. God had feared them to wreak havoc one day, so He made Lilith and Samael unable to bear any more Children. Then get killed by hundred each day, from Lilith’s agreement of disagreement with her first husband.**  
  
**They are what you call the mythicals, they possess ability unknown before, and those who dwell among us, human, becomes rarity.**  
  
**Keep track of them, they are rare, but not hard to find. Always so pretty it hurts your eyes. Always so lustful it sates your thrist and quenches your hunger. Tastes so good like a forbidden fruit. Their power is beyond your belief. Keep them, own them, love them, cherish them! Their mother is cursed to lose them by hundred each day, tomorrow, the one beside you might not be there. But remember, so does their mother, never try to cage them. If you make them yours, they make you theirs.**  
  
**Beware of the children of the night.**  
  
\-------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm veryveryvery sorry, life happened. That's my excuse  
> But the good thing is, my sister agreed to beta my works, and now we kinda collaborate or something
> 
> So Thank you for all your support! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!


	4. Put The Safety On

_“Mother, please let me out…”_  
  
_The silent plea falls on deaf ears. The little boy crumbles to his knees, sobbing. Way too tired to try if only to be rejected yet again. He’s not sure how long he’s been trapped in this dark, dingy cupboard, but he’s pretty sure it’s been more than a few hours since his stomach is rumbling loudly. What did he do wrong? He’s been good, as quiet as a mice, he did not even show himself in front of his mother all day. So why did she purposely seek him out so she could lock him inside the cupboard?_  
  
_When it finally creaks open, he thought he saw some silhouette of a man getting out of the house, but he’s not so sure. His attentions are already diverted into his mother’s rambling about how much of a bother he is._  
  
_“Don’t get out of the house, you hear me?” He heard her say as she put on her makeup “I’m going to work and if you did not clean the house while I’m gone, the cupboard would be where you’re staying for the night._  
  
_A nod is all she got for an answer, but she’s already halfway out the door to see it. It doesn’t matter, they both know what his answer will be._  
  
\-------------  
  
Let’s try to list all the wrong things that are currently happening around him.  
  
One, Akihito is riding on a limo. A motherfucking sleek black expensive limo without police number on it, going God knows where.  
  
Two, he doesn’t exactly have parents who told him things like not to go home after dark, jumping on rides with strangers, or associating himself with a mafia, but he’s pretty sure that taking drinks from suspicious people is one of the reasons behind kidnappings, date rape and other scary shits from TV.  
  
Three, he’s actually having a pretty civil conversation with the devil himself. Yay him.  
  
Not exactly civil though, since the latter won’t stop asking him about the supposed ‘truth’. Sucks to be him, he’s not nicknamed concrete head for nothing. It doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t die if you throw him out of the plane, but he’s pretty stubborn and until now, he hadn’t met his match. Though maybe Asami Ryuichi comes close as a second.  
  
“A penny for your thoughts, Akihito?”  
  
Aki keeps his gaze to the outside world, trying to convince himself that none of these things are actually happening. But that voice brings him back crashing to how deep he’s drowning in all these shits, so resistance is apparently futile. “Honestly? I wish none of these are happening and I’m at home with Natsu right now because tonight supposed to be movie night and you just ruined it for us so thanks, I guess, but not really. Sorry for the inconvenience too because now you have to give me a ride back home while you could have been killing people, laundering your money because those shits stink, or maybe conquering the world—“  
  
“—Who’s saying anything about taking you home?”  
  
By this time, Aki’s hazel eyes are as wide as saucers while Asami’s Golden orbs are glinting like they have actual fire dancing inside. “You’re not going to take me home after bribing me with food? You fucking lied to me, Asami Ryuichi?”  
  
“No, young man, I never said anything along that line. What we’re going to do is I’m giving you food, and what happened next would be determined by you yourself, whether you’re going to tell me the truth about whatever happened back then or you keep this incredulous façade on.”  
  
“I thought we’re long past that?! I told you I know nothing! I have very good instincts, okay? There were sirens in my head going crazy all wee-woo shit, okay? You need to believe me ‘coz I ain’t saying anything else about that.”  
  
“We’ll see.”  
  
Unsurprisingly, they’re back at Sion, where everything started. Akihito silently cursing himself for his own lame-ass excuse because who the hell admitted that they have super-instinct when they practically throwing themselves on some stranger’s mercy? He’s very tempted to text Natsu and asks for backup but then realized he left his phone at home. Dear everything that is holy, what if Asami slipped something to his drink? He felt nothing now, but what if it has slow reaction? What if it needs to be activated with some other substance and that substance is contained within whatever food Asami is going to give him? No! What if Asami is lying and he won’t actually give him food?!  
  
“Funny that that is the very top of your concern right now.” Asami said as he maneuvers them inside, passing through that revolving door to a grand lobby, complete with crystal chandelier and dark marble tiles—he really should stop thinking out loud. A man stands up from his seat at the receptionist desk so he could bow to Asami. “I do plan on feeding you, though, so you don’t have to worry. And I’m not going to poison you or anything, Akihito, have a little more faith in me.” The elevator ride was long and eerily silent, save for the instrumentals that seeps through the speakers. Aki is waiting for something, anything, even the quiet ding which indicates that they have arrived to whatever slaughterhouse Asami has waiting. Akihito doesn’t like it one bit, the feeling of being kept on the edge for so long, waiting with breath hitched due to anticipation. He’s not the most organized person, but he hates not being in control of the situation. If years of fending for himself taught him anything, it would be how important control is.  
  
His musing is interrupted when he realized that the car is no longer moving. As the elevator doors slides open, Asami turns a bit to look at him, a small smirk on his lips. “Welcome to Sion, Akihito.”  
  
As they arrived to the topmost floor, Akihito can’t help but admire what seemed like Asami’s headquarters. This is the peak of Sion, where Asami spend most of his times mulling over plans, numbers and whatnot. This place is the only witness of all the bad things he has done—all the hideous thing the cops could only dream to obtain—and Akihito might be the first person to step in here without actually having a direct connection to said man’s world. After getting off of the elevator, they’re greeted by some kind of waiting room with sofas and low coffee tables, tastefully decorated without being over the top. There’s no obnoxiously expensive painting or ridiculously ugly statue that’s worth more than Aki and Natsu’s combined food budget for a year, but even in a glance, it’s clear that none of the furniture is cheap.  
  
On the far end are dark mahogany double doors and that’s where they’re headed to. Each of Asami’s sure steps is echoing through the empty room, accompanied by Aki’s shorter, clumsier ones. When those doors are finally opened and they stepped inside, Akihito is awestruck with…well, _everything_.  
  
There’s a large desk right in the middle, empty saves for one laptop and two thick files containing God-Knows-What, a land line, and one pen that looks barely used. Behind the big office leather chair is the backdrop of nighttime Tokyo. Actually, most of the walls in Asami’s main office are floor to ceiling glass windows. There are remote operated blinds if to ward off unnecessary lights when needed, but currently all of them are rolled upwards, and the city lights are glittering right in front of him.  
  
“Oh wow… _oh wow_ , I’ve been up high, but never this high! No one could ever tire from this sight—even people like me!”  
  
There are bookshelves on one end, rows of metal cabinets on the other. The floor is padded with thick carpet that the sounds of their footsteps are no longer filling the silence. There’s no chandelier like the two previous rooms Aki had been, yet Aki can spot a bar with wooden shelves filled to the brim with numerous bottles. He’s not sure whether drinking on the job is something white collars do, but Asami is the boss so he probably doesn’t care about all that. Or better yet, he simply reform that rule, nothing surprise him anymore when it comes to Asami by this point.  
  
Asami has just ended a call that started once Akihito goes awestruck by his office, “And what do people like you entails?”  
  
“Uh, I can’t forget I guess?” He said, hesitation clear in his voice.  
  
“ _What?_ ”  
  
“I mean I have superbrain. I won’t forget anything—I can’t forget anything. Does that make sense to you? Like you could’ve told me your century old worth of life story and I’d still be able to recite it to you word by word.”  
  
“That’s pretty convenient.” Asami said, walking to his desk. He shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over his chair. He’s blatantly ignoring the fact that Aki has just called him a century years old. Akihito followed suit, standing on the other side of his desk so now they’re facing each other.  
  
“Yeah, until you desperately want to forget something.”  
  
The awkward atmosphere is no longer around now, replaced by some kind of civil understanding. Aki’s not very sure where his doubts and insecurities toward Asami went, but he decided not to pursue said topic any further and focuses on trying to gauge what Asami is trying to do now instead of later. His own musings are interrupted (yet again) by a subtle knock on the heavy door before it opened, a girl clad in waiter-like uniform strolls inside with a wheeled tray, bows to Asami, then left. As silent as her entry. Food. Actual food. At least Asami was not lying about this.  
  
The older man side stepped him to reach the tray. He opens the dome cover to reveal dishes Aki never seen beyond tv screen but oh wow if the smell aren’t alluring enough, the appearance sure will. “Are you allergic to anything?” he asked, catching him off guard. He replied with a negative before Asami ushered them to another set of sofa with low coffee table on the other side of the room. Once they’re seated, Asami arranges the array of dishes before he too sits down on one of the numerous seats. “You’re awfully full of surprises, Akihito.” He suddenly said after confirming that yes, Akihito, you can take anything you want. “First, superinstict and now supermemory. Really, how many secrets can you keep?”  
  
Akihito shrugs, not meeting Asami’s eyes. “A whole lot. You won’t believe me.”  
  
“Try me, then.”  
  
Is this the part where he’s supposed to spill his deep dark secrets? He contemplates telling everything to Asami but then settles with; “I used to suck dicks for a living.”  
  
“Did you now.” He said, seemingly unfazed. But the widening of those golden orbs is very satisfying. Akihito relishes on it while filling his plate with whatever caught his eyes. That’s not a part of his life that he’s proud of, but he’s not ashamed of it either. A kid gotta do anything to survive, and he spent most of his childhood cooped and beaten up. He doesn’t have any decent skills; only have the bare minimum knowledge of reading and simple math. At least that was enough to count money given by his clients. If he did not meet Natsu, he might have been the most renowned prostitute by now, the thought had passed his mind several times. He’s not proud of it either, but he was young and stupid. He still is, actually, but at least he now realizes that the world is not as small and suffocating as before.  
  
He glances at his full plate, then back at Asami.  
  
“Can I bring some for Natsu? He might have eaten his dinner by now, but I feel bad eating all of these by myself.”  
  
A quirked eyebrow is his answer, but Asami then reached for his phone, on a call yet again, talking about the rest of the dishes and to wrap it up. His eyes are not leaving Akihito face for a second. Aki thanked him shyly, the big bad wolf persona of Asami in his head slowly dissipating.  
  
Not really, because he’s still not sure whether Asami will take him home or not.  
  
Once they’re done eating and Aki has downed the last of his apple juice, the same girl comes back to collect the now empty plates and placed a plastic bag to where they were while Asami told him to stand up. With a hand on the small of his back, he leads him to another door placed on a more secluded area. Even the door somehow blends with the wall, you won’t realize it’s there on first glance.  
  
“Aren’t your workers going home yet? Do they have a night shift too in case you decide to be difficult and stays on your office for longer than necessary?” Aki said, suddenly aware of the now long-gone sun and some people that served him and Asami throughout his stay as the door opened with a beep. “Oh, you live here? So what, they’re like…your personal housemaid or something?”  
  
Beyond that door is a small bedroom. Small, compared to the lobby, office, and the general grandeur of Sion building on its entirety but still three times the size of the living room of his shared house. The room itself only have the barest necessities of a hotel room; a king sized bed, two nightstands, a wall-mounted television, a wardrobe, and little kitchenette complete with a mini fridge. On the farthest end is an opaque glass door, to what Akihito assumes as the bathroom.  
  
“Some of my employees live here; the residential area is a few floors below. I do too sometimes when the occasion arises. We have the main kitchen running until 11 pm and 24 hours of security for the whole building.” Aki saves the information for later. “As for now, I’m afraid you’d spend the night right here.”  
  
“Wait, what!? That’s—“  
  
“—You refused to cooperate, you did not tell us the truth. There are possibilities that you’re involved in something that we’re not familiar with. And don’t give me that super instinct theory of yours, I can smell deception, Akihito, though I have to commend you for your strong will. The fact that you’re a ghost also serves to be non-beneficial on our side, we can’t track you if you decided to flee from us.”  
  
To say that he’s surprised with this turn of event is an understatement, he’s astonished. Did he ever thought of Asami as kind? Well, think again.  
  
“You’re practically saying I have the upper hand. That’s not a good move. You can’t force me to do anything, Asami.” Akihito grumbles. His hands are balled into fists by his sides, brows furrowed, jaw clenched and lips pulled into a thin line.  
  
“ _You_ are having the upper hand, I said it because there’s no denying that fact, there’s no use hiding the obvious. That’s why you’re here, so you won’t use this to your advantage.”  
  
Akihito is angry, he’s livid to be exact. Nobody cages him, nobody has the right to tell him what to do and what not— _not anymore_ , those are the two things people need to know before they agreed to work with him and Natsu—and now Asami has just disregard anything and everything just because Akihito refuses to play his part of a cute obedient puppy that begs for his praises and approvals. Thank you, kind sir, but what about fuck no?  
  
He side steps Asami, getting out of the bed/hotel room back to the main office. Asami’s hand is looped on his arm, but he jerks it off with all the strength he has. His legs are not stopping until they reached the heavy doors and pulled them open as hard as he could. The lights from the waiting room are flooding inside as he managed to open it and strolls out with hard steps and even harder expression.  
  
“Where do you think you’re going? You forgot your food.” He hears the older man perfectly as he easily falls into step with him. He grits his teeth in annoyance.  
  
“Anywhere that has no you in it.” He says, clipped. “And you can keep the food, Asami. God help us, it might help healing your conceited attitude. I asked it for Natsu anyway, and it’s not like you’re letting me getting back to him.”  
Upon hearing Natsu’s name for the nth time that night, the furrow in Asami’s head deepens. “You can’t go anywhere; the residential area starts from the 45th floor, to go there and further you need an identification card, as well as getting down.”  
  
Aki runs a hand through his locks, a clear sign of frustration. “Then take me home, you bastard. I have had enough of your bullshit.”  
  
“What’s so bad about staying the night. Why do you have to make everything difficult, Akihito? I have shown you hospitality and you return it with ingratitude. Are you saying that his is all my fault? You’re the one who refused to tell us the truth.”  
  
There. Again. The truth. Aki runs his hand through his fair, then his face, harshly. Akihito is so sick of this whole ordeal that his next words come out as more of a growl, “FINE. You want to know the truth, Asami Ryuichi?”  
  
\-------------  
  
Asami is on the phone, yet again.  
  
It’s been three hours since his last talk with Akihito. His words are echoing in his head, like some kind of reminder that he can’t forget. That kid is probably trashing his spare bedroom as for now after he manhandled him to the room and locked the door from outside, but he finds that the least of his concern. There are so many questions running in his head, and the only one he thought could answer him is not picking up his call. He massages his temple, dreading the upcoming headache while the dial tone plays mockingly from the other end.  
  
_“What is it Asami”_ The dial tone suddenly stops, replaced by a click and a calm, crisp voice. Asami audibly exhales.  
  
“What took you so long, Liu Fei Long?”  
  
There’s slight static and rustles of fabric, as if the other party is changing his location—or position, he can’t never be too sure. _“Oh I don’t know, maybe some people actually have a life too.”_  
  
“Cut the crap.”  
  
_“You literally called me in the middle of the night to badmouth me? I can always hang up, you know?”_  
  
“You won’t”  
  
_“Will I now?”_  
  
He lets out a tired sigh, his free hand runs through the already disheveled dark locks. “Just…I need your help. Might have something to do with you too, if my hunch is right.” A few hours later, Asami finds himself on top of Sion’s building, wating for Fei Long’s chopper to land. His shoulder visibly tenses when he hears the telltale sound of the blades getting closer.  
  
Fei Long has his long hair tied, sporting grey suit and slacks instead of his usual cheongsam. The young leader of Baishe has a frown in his face when he’s talking to the pilot before finally stepping down to meet Asami. Both of them still have a few steps between them, but a curt nod from each other is sufficient for a greeting. He says something to the pilot, and the vehicle flies yet again to the night sky. Fei Long finally takes the few steps separating them to stand in front of Asami and although none of them are saying anything, the way their postures relax slightly speaks a thousand times louder.  
  
Liu Fei Long and Asami Ryuichi might be friends, they could be rivals, whatever they are, they both know they could rely on each other when they truly need it. On numerous occasions, they have proven that distance does nothing to separate them—they might have been the closest to brother to each other though they would never admit it out loud. And if Fei Long flying straight from Hong Kong to Tokyo just because Asami asked (told) him to isn’t friendship goals, nobody really knows what is.  
  
“Where is Kirishima and Suoh?” Fei Long asks when he noticed that none of Asami’s trusted men are by his side.  
  
“They have something to take care of.” Or better put, they’re interrogating the three men earlier and Asami is waiting for Kirishima to call him with the update. If all goes well, Asami wouldn’t have to get down and dirty at all.  
  
When they finally step inside the building, Asami could see from the corner of his eyes that Fei Long is taking a deep breath before releasing it with face contorted in pain. He lets out a disapproving noise as Asami’s spare room came into view. There’s a weak banging sound from behind the door every now and then, but other than that, none of them are breaking the silence.  
  
“What exactly did he tell you?” Fei Long whispers. Asami rakes his brain for an answer.  
  
Funnny how he couldn’t forget it a few hours ago and now it’s just gone from his brain with a puff of smoke.  
  
“Something about dreams, and visions? I’m not really sure. He said I’m supposed to be dead right now, because he’s seen it with his own eyes.”  
  
The younger of the two nods subtly, his beautiful face etched with determination. “If what he’s saying is true, and if I’m not mistaken, then you might have bitten more than you can chew.”  
  
\-------  
  
**As God forbid Lilith and Samael to have any more offspring, Lilith knew that Adam had once again meddled with her life. In her tears, she ran to the underworld, where Demons and Fallen Angels reside in abandon. She met the morning star, and be with him she shall.**  
  
**Every man that pleasures themselves are her groom, that’s what Lucifer told her. But his power could not rival Samael, thus his magic did not flow to their children. They are sensitive to the power but held nothing to control it, the closest to normal human being the Children of Lilith could be.**  
  
**They are the guardians, the teacher. The ones who would guide their brothers and sisters when they feel like bursting off since it is so hard to blend. They too, are not immortal, and their death is closer than any other. They are the children of Lilith, and God decided they would face the same demise as their siblings.**  
  
\-------  
  
Akihito is not the sharpest tool in the box, but never in his life had he felt more stupid than he is now.  
  
In his haste and anger, he ended up telling Asami everything. Everything means his very first dream, his very last vision, and of course Asami’s own figure all beaten up and bloody in front of him—No, everything don’t include his fucked up life story (What the hell, man, they just met!). A small part of him is screaming to himself so he’d shut up and stay quiet for once, but another part is dancing with glee because he realize how messed up and out of his mind he sounded. Maybe, if God is by his side, then Asami would think of him as mentally unstable and let him go. The End. Happily Ever fucking After.  
  
But no, of course not. This is Asami Ryuichi they’re talking about. This is Asami Ryuichi that could have killed him anytime during their ride back to Sion, The Asami Ryuichi who decided that his story is not only twisted but might also been a decoy to make everything not like how it actually seems. Asami had just accused him of being a train. Because _Loco Motive_ , you know. This is hardly the time to play puns. Damn it Akihito, Focus!  
  
He’s been locked up for a few hours now, as told by the digital clock perched on one of Asami’s nightstand. The motherfucker locked him from outside, his walls are soundproof, his windows are reinforced and bulletproof, he won’t let him breathe even for a second. He’s been throwing anything and everything to the door during his stay—save for the digital clock cause he needs it to keep track of time—and now he’s drained. His last effort is to bang the door as hard as his last of strength could muster.  
  
Hell, he really hates not being in control of the situation.  
  
The last time he let himself being locked up was the day before his mother’s death. The last time he let someone decide what to do with his life he’s almost got sold to a brothel in exchange of drugs. The last time he lost control of his own shit almost sent Natsu and himself to juvie. Hence, he’s not a very big fan of this situation. The bright side is that he has proven his own hypothesis to be right. Being around Asami Ryuichi would only jinx all the good things life has bestowed upon him. Just look at him now, two nights in a row plagued by the same nightmare of the same person’s death and one full day of meeting said person; his whole life is already upside down.  
  
He’s tired, exhausted even. Physically and mentally. Why won’t the mafia boss let him live in peace? Why does he have to play hero and try to safe some asshole’s life? Why people still think that the earth is flat? He doesn’t have answer to any of his questions and his eyes are slowly closing. His consciousness is slipping until some kind of smell wakes him up. It’s warm and comforting, familiar yet foreign. His head unconsciously follows his nose’s lead only to find out that whatever gives off this heavenly scent is behind this door. “Asami?” He tries. Careful and hesistant. His nerves are riled up when there’s no response. He started pounding, harder and harder. “Goddamnit, Asami, let me out! I did what you told me you big fat liar, now do your end of the bargain and let me out!!”  
  
Finally, fucking finally, there’s the beeping sound of keycodes being punched to the the side panel. But instead of Asami, the one waiting for him behind those door is a pretty looking man, but his actions don’t spell out feminine. Hair tied and suit pressed, his face is sharp and his movements elegant—the kind of prince charming or angels from story books, not like he has read anything but snow white. That pleasant smell is wafting off of him like high class perfume, but somehow, he’s sure that it’s not.  
  
The newcomer smiled at him warmly, as if reuniting with a long lost friend.  
  
“Hello brother.”  
  
\-------------  
  
Let’s try to list all the wrong things that are currently happening around him.  
  
One, he’s kidnapped, bribed with food, and now trapped in the highest floor of Sion Inc. HQ without any means of communication nor escape plan.  
  
Two, His asshole kidnapper is nowhere to be found, even after leaving him locked inside his spare bedroom for more than five hours. He’s now hangry for fuck’s sake.  
  
Three, some kind of fairytale princess charming is standing in front of him, all pretty and shit, and called him his brother. He’s now hangry and confused.  
  
His confusion must have been shown so clearly that the newcomer smiles at him while taking his hand in his. He pulls him up so they’re both standing. It kinda caught him off guard that the long-haired male is slightly taller than him despite his frail look. “You’re Akihito, I assume? Asami has told me a lot about you.”  
  
He blinks, “Wow? I mean it’s not even 24 hours since our first meeting. I find it hard to believe.”  
The other male says nothing, but that smile is not falling off his face. He motioned Akihito to follow him to the other side of the room where Asami’s workplace actually is. They walk past Asami who’s currently nursing a glass of bronze-colored liquor; his golden eyes followed their every step. Aki can feel the scorching gaze but refuses to acknowledge it, deciding to pour his focus to the newcomer, and gauge whatever he could find as an escape route. They finally arrive at the sitting area where Asami and him previously had their early dinner. He ushers Akihito to pick any seat before planting himself right beside him. He’s not being overly intimate or touchy though, so Aki’s not exactly uncomfortable with his presence.  
  
“My name is Liu Fei Long, by the way. Asami calls me Fei Long when he’s vulnerable or in a good mood” He says after some period of silence. Aki grins at that.  
  
“Well, you already know me. I’m Akihito, some people call me Aki for short.” Fei Long nods, not fazed by the fact that the latter did not give their family name. “Do you know why I’m here, Aki?”  
  
The addressed boy darts his eyes briefly to where Asami is sitting. It seems like he has poured himself another glass while listening to their conversation. “No. Honestly, I’m still at lost on why am I here on the first place.” He witnesses the moment where Asami’s face clouded before it reverts back to its previous nonchalant expression. “And please, kindly tell me why because a certain person will not.”  
  
“I believe he meant you no harm.” Fei Long says, even without referring anyone, all the occupants in the room know who he’s talking about. “It’s his stupid way of taking precautions, you see. I believe you know the world he’s living in? You could never be too sure.  
  
I’m not saying what he’s doing is right, but I hope you can see where his actions coming from. Can you do that for me?”  
  
Despite the very—very, very, very—short period since they first seen each other, Aki knows to put his trust on Fei Long. Something inside him recognizes Fei Long eventhough his rationality realizes that it’s not possible. Yet Akihito nods nonetheless, and that simple gesture etched a beautiful smile on Fei Long’s face. Somehow he feels proud of himself, like he had saved the world or something by just seeing that smile. He could hear Asami mutter something along the line of _that fucking charmer_ but Aki pays no mind to it.  
  
“So about what you told Asami, is that true?”  
  
Oh—OH—, so that’s why Fei Long is here. Because he’s one of Asami’s cronies, isn’t it? Or is he someone from the mental ward? Did he come here because Asami actually thinks that he’s out of his mind and called the mental hospital? SO everything is a lie? Why is he so stupid when it comes to people? Natsu always say that he’s too kind—that he thinks everyone is as kind-hearted as he is. He thought Natsu was just exaggerating facts, but now here he is, with a betrayed expression on his face.  
  
“Wow, Asami was right when he said you have an overly active imagination—you jumps very quickly to conclusions, Akihito. All I did was trying to check the facts with you since I don’t want to do anything without knowing both sides of the stories.” Fei Long says with a quirked brow. Akihito can feel the heat blooms and spreads to his ears and neck. He mutters a soft apology before mentally scolding himself for his thinking out loud habit. “It’s okay, I understand. If I was you, I’d have been doubtful too.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
Fei Long changes his sitting position, from sideways so he could face Akihito to completely lean back to the sofa. He turns his head instead so they could maintain eye contact, “Do you want to hear a story, Akihito? This may take a while.”  
  
\-------  
  
**Lilith was crying, her pain was beyond compare. Here she was, damned to have her children taken away by hundred each day, while Adam and Eve lived the happy life of heaven. Was it her fault to refuse being submissive? Was it a sin to reject the idea of sharing forever with someone who couldn’t lower their pride enough so they could stand side by side? Was it so wrong to have her own opinion heard by someone she considered an equal?**  
  
**She was devoted, she was perfect. She was made by the very same earth Adam was created, but that was not enough. She apparently needs to be a doll, fragile and mindless. That’s why Eve was made out of Adam’s ribs—so she should always be protected. She’s called Eve because she’d later be the mother of all the living.**  
  
**Jealousy got to her, anger blinded her eyes. Her ties with the night prowlers had clouded her mind. With The Serpent she plotted their demise, using Eve’s naiveté to tempt her. It was ridiculously easy. Those who are weak desired for themselves to be strong—The Serpent tempted Eve, told her she’d gained wisdom once she ate the forbidden fruit. Their eyes would open, just like God, they’d understand what was right and what was wrong.**  
  
**But Lilith is not yet satisfied. With every ounce of magic she had, she casted an everlasting spell to save her children. But God’s will were too strong; all she could do was to prevent anymore lives to be taken by her own sin.**  
  
**If one child is taken, their soul would travel to a new vessel of the same blood. If one child died, another would be birthed. Lilith’s magic would stay prominent in their veins, her prayer would live with their pain. A cycle that could not be broken, Lilith’s last will was for her child’s well being.  
**  
\-------  
  
It was too much for him to process.  
  
For the last hour, Fei Long had proceeded with filling him in on the history of humankind, the usual story he heard when he went pass religious houses and school, but with a twist. So Eve is not the first woman, Lucifer is not the biggest baddest angel out there, and surprise, surprise, he’s not exactly human. He’s one of the so-called Children of Lilith, and his ability doesn’t come out of nowhere. The best part is that he has higher chance of dying than most people in the whole world because apparently, his descendant pissed God off or something, and decided to mingle with the bad crowd.  
  
“Each of us has different abilities.” Fei Long provides, “I’m not a descendant of Lilith and Samael, but I can say that even my ability is higher than my peers. I can’t utilize magic, but my sensitiveness to it is very prone. I can sense us,” He gestures to the both of them, “And I can determine their power. Not all Lucifer-descent can do this.” He finishes proudly.  
  
Akihito raises both of his hands, palms facing Fei Long—a sign that he needs to contemplate everything that had just been said. Once his head is no longer spinning, he searches Fei Long’s eyes. “You’re saying that you’re just like me?”  
  
“No. We’re different. You have some kind of mind ability while I just have heightened instinct.” _Superinstinct_ he vaguely hears someone say it under his breath. He throws a glare to the other person that is not him or Fei Long in that room. “Akihito, you’re a seer, a voyeur, but at the same time, more. Judging from what you and Asami told me, your power ranges not only to see the future, but also to interact with them. You have the ability to twist the fate, and not only deaths.”  
  
His frown deepens. “That’s not possible. If I try to meddle with it, it would still happen one way or another, do you know how it feels to want your beauty sleep but get interrupted by nothing but death?”  
  
“Not in real life, Akihito. In your dream. Furthermore, the reason why you’re able to see people’s death is because death is absolute. Everybody will die at some point, so it’s the easiest to predict. But once you get the hang of it, you’d be able to see more than that.”  
  
“That can’t be true either, I had always been a spectator, you know? Like…like a ghost or something.”  
  
“But you said you met Asami’s eyes before.”  
  
Akihito’s head snapped so hard he almost gets a whiplash. He did meet Asami’s eyes the first time he dreamed about him, he touched Asami the second time. “But why now? Why not all this time?”  
  
Fei Long purses his lips, seemingly trying to find the best answer. “I’m not really sure, but my best guess is that your power is growing. When was your first vision?”  
  
“W-when I was 7 years old...”  
  
“Akihito, remember what I told you? We as the children of Lilith die by a hundred each day. Either we’re killed, fallen victim to an incurable disease, or simply die due to old age. However, we don’t exactly die, our soul goes on. You said you get it when you’re 7, if you’re born with this ability, then it should already awaken once you’re 3 and gradually get stronger. You got it 4 years later, and your growth is considerably slow—you obtained it from someone else is the only logical reason. A part of your soul is younger than you and it needs time to grow.”  
  
Funny how Fei Long dubbed it as a logical reason when none of this are making sense. So he’s like what? A prophet? He’s legit those fortune tellers on fairs he went with Natsu every year but without the mumbo jumbo and crystal ball? And…and he got this power from somebody else? Fei Long told him something about blood relation. His mother was still alive when he got his first vision, so…his father? He’s pretty sure that man is out here for his blood. He made his life a living hell, he abandoned his mother for something he did not understand, he refused to see him, refused to call him his son, but then he carelessly die and the only thing he left him is this ability? For him to see death every time he closes his eyes? Rather than a gift, this is more like a curse.  
  
He runs his hand down his face, as if rubbing off all the fatigue and stress he accumulated in just a day. Asami Ryuichi is a bastard. Once their fate intertwined, his life is no longer the same.  
  
“You heard that Asami?” He finally says after a long stretched silence that none of them were ready to break beforehand. His hazel eyes are dead set focused to those mesmerizing golden orbs that seemed to glow under the dim lighting. “Tell Kirishima-san I’m not your fan or anything.”  
  
\-------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that I have not stick to my own update schedule. I'm going abroad to continue my college years and settling in has not been very kind :c
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! This has been done for a long-long time (in a rush, hence the quality) since I thought I would be able to update before moving but I guess that's not how life works(?)


	5. Backfired pt.1

Everything is temporarily well in the world.  
  
Akihito is back to his own house, greeted by one bawling Natsu on the front door that was quick to pull him into a suffocating bear hug. His ass is already back to managing his and Natsu’s business. They gained a new customer, or maybe two, but that’s not something he should share since he’s under a stupid oath of confidentiality.  
  
He still has his nightmare/vision like usual, topped with flashes of deaths when he’s awake too sometimes but it’s no big deal anymore. He tried some of Fei Long’s tips on tweaking the dreams, but either he’s just not yet used to it or Fei Long was wrong, all his attempts were in vain—doesn’t mean he stops trying though. He gotta admit that when he knew he could’ve saved Asami back then, however much of an asshole he is, he regret the fact that he did not. He’s constantly reminded of the feeling of helplessness that washed through him at that time.  
  
Speaking of Asami, he has never met him again since that night, as if their Oscar-worthy meeting never happened. Akihito would have believed that too, if not for Kirishima that keeps on dropping by each week with new tasks (yes, one of his new customer is Sion, whippity woo). He swears to anything that is holy though, that whatever Kirishima throws at him is more exciting than most of his clientele ever given to him. He enjoys every second of it—much to Natsu’s disappointment, but when was the last time you ever seen a drug dealing and be the one to expose it? Goddamn straight never. Working for Asami gives him this thrill he never thought he needs. He’s not stupid though, he knows he’s doing a lot of favor to Asami once his job is done. Asami dwells in the same world as the scums that Aki takes down. However, they’re more or less a threat to Asami’s own line of business. That’s his actual job, to ensure that Asami Ryuichi stays at the top of the food chain by eliminating little time bombs that can go off anytime.  
  
Does Aki’s guilt conscience hinder his work? Not really. In his own twisted way, he’s also doing Japan a favor. It’s hard to admit but Asami is not exactly a criminal In Aki’s eyes. Despite his bastard personality, Asami is a natural born leader. He’s powerful, but he doesn’t assert his power to those weaker than him, rather using it as a way to regulate them. His authority makes sure that no outlaws are crossing his self-made line, or they will face his self-made consequences. In Japan’s underworld, Asami is King, and his words are law. It’s better than having more than one gang running a certain area with the close to zero possibility of safety.  
  
Enough about Asami, Akihito and Natsu are currently on a non-Asami-related mission. An officer’s wife came to them yesterday with a mixture of mascara and eyeliner running down her cheeks. His wife knows so well about his bad habit of cheating, gambling and drinking despite him being a cop. She also knows that sometimes he’d not come home with the excuse of investigation, which isn’t true most of the time, but he’s always back after two or three days.  
  
The problem is, it’s been a week and his family had heard nothing of him. They tried to reach his office to ask whether he’s on a mission, but met with the fact that he had not been showing up to work either. His partner and colleagues claimed to receive no news from, or had recently been on an outing with him. Aki and Natsu was the woman’s last resort. Seeing her wrecked state, they swore to her that they’d try their best to find him and come back to her with everything that they found.  
  
Although now, they’re not so sure how they should tell the officer’s wife, or widow, considering her husband’s state right now.  
  
Akihito had never met this husband in person, had never seen his picture either. His death is not picked up by his “death-dar” and he’s not sure whether he should be thankful or not. The officer’s identity is almost unrecognizable if they don’t find his badge, wallet, ID and uniform in a bag discarded among piles of empty bottles and ramen cups not far from his body that is starting to decompose, though judging from its state, his time of death can’t already be 24 hours. Either the culprit fucked him up bad but left him here to die, or it happened not a long time ago.  
  
His brain is splattered below his head, most likely from a gunshot considering the bullet hole on his forehead. Most of his teeth are missing and his jaw is broken, probably from getting hit repeatedly—that would also explain his swollen and bruised face. His limbs are weird looking, twisted in all kind of directions that’s not exactly normal for human unless their bones are elastic as fuck. He’s naked, save for his boxer that’s blotched with blood, pee, and feces. His whole torso is a disgusting canvas of black, red and blue, but not bloody. Most damage happened inside, it seems. Thankfully, his fingers are intact and they could recognize the wedding ring his wife described to them.  
  
“Definitely not kidnapping, robbery or mugging then.” Aki mutters under his breath, but Natsu picked it up nevertheless. “His valuables are all here, we don’t know how much cash he carries before, but I bet it’s untouched. His phone is missing though”  
  
“Then what is it? Revenge?” He shakes his head, a bemused pout forming on his lips.  
  
“I have seen enough revenge hit to know that this ain’t it. Come one, Natsu, you’re smarter than that. Look at where we are; piece it together with what we’ve found so far.”  
  
After following the CCTV trail and the man’s card purchase (yes, Asami is not the only one with resources. Suck it, Glasses), they found that he went bar hopping for three days straight, his last stop was a pub twelve blocks from here. The CCTV of that area recorded him stumbling out with phone in hand, talking to whomever owner of the faceless voice on the other side of the line with slurred words, before a black tinted minivan stopped in front of him and he went in willingly. The minivan had no number on it, but Aki’s eyes and memory were keen enough to recognize that it has different left and side mirror, accompanied with a dented bumper. They followed the car to a plain looking apartment building before it disappeared to a private underground parking.  
  
The both of them are very thankful that whoever this group of people is, they’re good enough to keep the chase interesting but not enough to completely hinder them to follow their trails.  
  
For a few hours, there’s no activity from neither the minivan nor the missing police officer until the minivan emerged from the underground parking, stopping by a gas station, then continued on to the mouth of the back alley Aki and Natsu currently in. It seemed like they already done their homework and chose a street with only one CCTV, positioned unstrategically. The camera is placed across the wide two-way street on the right side of where they came from, and nowhere else. It’s proven to be a point of advantage since eventhough the minivan stopped for a good five minutes, they did not seem like doing anything out of the ordinary before abruptly speeding off to the night. They followed the car’s trail to a secondhand car market before concluding that they should check the alley from the recordings (after Akihito took note of three people hailing different cabs to one destination with different detours)  
  
“They chose this street for the high vantage point.” Natsu says “They chose a plat less minivan for their means of transportation, the body of the car was used to cover people who were getting off.”  
  
Aki is on board with him this time, “Yeah, and judging from the estimated time of death, he’s beaten up somewhere else, dragged here alive, and then downed his last shot.”  
  
“Still not answering my question of what kind of murder this is though.”  
  
“My bet is, he knew too much and get silenced.” Natsu let out a low whistle at that. “You can’t find his phone, right? But we saw him using it just before he got into the car. Either he lost it during a scuffle, stolen—which is weird considering most of his belongings are still here, or the people who were with him got it.”  
  
“So…he’s like a dirty cop or something? Did they confiscated his phone since there might be some prove of his association with them?”  
  
“I’m not sure about that, we need to dig more.”  
  
“I think you have done more than enough.”  
  
Natsu spins around so fast from shock while Aki just groaned low in frustration upon hearing that voice. And he thought life is finally getting better for him.  
  
“The fuck are you doing here!?”  
  
\-------------  
  
“Kirishima, what is your favorite food?”  
  
“I don’t have any special preference, sir.”  
  
“What about you, Suoh?”  
  
“…Me neither sir.”  
  
“Kirishima—“  
  
—Unfortunately (fortunately), Kirishima’s phone rings right after Asami calls his name. With an apologetic smile and a soft _sorry, Asami-sama, I need to get this_ , Kirishima ignored Asami altogether. Suoh throws an uncomfortable glance stealthily from the driver seat to where Asami is, face clouded but not from smoke rising from his cancer stick for a change. Suoh is worried, to say the least. For the past week, Asami had been rather talkative, for the lack of better term. He keeps on trying to make small talks during their usually silent limo and elevator ride. He also attempted—not noly once—to give them more elaborate answers on simple questions. Honestly, for Suoh, it’s kind of unnerving.  
  
While Asami…well, he’s not sure either. It’s just that these past days, everything is way too quiet around him. Which is weird, since he’s sure nothing is amiss or misplaced, no crisis to face, no war to fight, nothing. If anything, he’s usually thankful for these kind of calm moments that come visit once every blue moon. To compensate it, he tries to fill the silence instead, hence Kirishima and Suoh’s rather unfortunate predicament concerning their boss.  
  
However, to say the truth, Asami knows exactly what missing. Asami is a smart man, he could’ve run for president if he wanted to—but of course he rejected it because being a president is boring and much less thrilling than what he’s doing right now—there’s no way he wouldn’t realize something so simple. Although he’s currently playing dumb to himself since he won’t admit it.  
  
There’s no way The Great Asami Fucking Ryuichi is missing a certain brat’s presence. Nope. Not at all. Keep on dreaming, Susan.  
  
Maybe a bit.  
  
Truthfully, Akihito is a breath of fresh air. It’s a fact that Asami is known for his extensive relations, he has been meeting all kinds of people from all kinds of places, but none of them are even come quite close to Akihito. He would’ve blamed it on the kid’s power, but then his rational part of the brain would reply sarcastically that he’s a seer and not a siren.  
  
Of which the irrational part of his brain would counter with _children of Liliths are supposed to be alluring, idiot_. Disregarding the fact the one he just called idiot was himself.  
  
He’s waking up from his musings through Kirishima’s concerned tone upon calling his name. Something about lowlifes gone awry needs his attention and not a certain silver-haired, hazel-eyed boy he barely knows. Kirishima explained that his suspicion about some kind of mole in one of their lesser subordinates’ group is confirmed. The mole was not a mole at the first place, he was genuinely one of them until greed takes over his not-so-bright mind and he decided to be a double agent for the cops. However, the real problem is that their subordinates messed up, and they reported that there might be someone hot on their tail about this—they were alerted that some people had been messing around with CCTV records concerning them.  
  
Now, Asami don’t usually deal with these kinds of things hands on, but his reputation is on the line this time. It’s an unspoken rule that Asami does not belong to any group—you don’t talk about it, you don’t boast about it, and surely, not to try using his name to make your group looks tougher. Asami titled himself a businessman, then a businessman he would be. However, there’s a misconception among new criminals and the police that Asami is some kind of Godfather.  
  
Although it’s true that Asami takes the role of a regulator considering his job as the biggest drugs and weapon supplier along with his good relation with most group leader big or small and they value his opinion very highly, he does not belong to any of them.  
  
And yet, this wannabe group had spread it everywhere that _they have the back up of Asami Ryuichi_ and _not to mess with them or else_. Asami could’ve let it be, that group would vanish in a month or two, but he wouldn’t let anyone thinking that the group disbanded since he couldn’t control them. If anything, they want them to know he crushed the group by himself to teach the others a lesson.  
  
Though the real problem is they have to track down whoever managed to find out about this and keep them quiet.  
  
“Situation, Kirishima?”  
  
“We received the news not long ago that somebody is asking around discreetly, looking for the mole, even went as far as tracking his card purchase. The latest is the notification that the operation car is being tagged. To be fair, they’re not being exactly discreet, anyone with a little will would’ve found out. However, they weren’t thinking about getting caught, they thought nobody would’ve cared about him.”  
  
“The mole is dealt with? What about the ones responsible?”  
  
“Dealt and disposed, but not really. They’re waiting for you in warehouse 15.”  
  
“Suoh, ETA?”  
  
“10 minutes tops, Sir. It’s just around the corner.”  
  
Asami leans back to his seat before taking a drag of his forgotten Dunhill, a frown etched to his otherwise flawless appearance. They’re supposed to call it a day just then, calling it quits in the afternon so Asami can actually comes back to his penthouse and have a glass of Bourbon or two after spending a week in the office, practically living off of cups after cups of black coffee—he’s the boss, but no one drinks on the clock, not even Asami.  
  
His Dunhill is finished at the same time with the limo halting into a stop. They’re in front of an alley on the slightly busier part of the town, but would only be bustling of life once the sun sets. As for now, the street is deserted. Asami takes notice of the only camera blinking on them, making a mental note to remind Kirishima that the tapes need to be taken care of once they’re done.  
  
Another thing that he noticed is the old black Dodge Viper parked in front of a convenience store not too far from where his limo is.  
  
Asami steps down once Suoh opens the door for him, buttoning his suit while nodding in gratitude. The three of them is standing in front of the alley now. They’re three grown man with shoulders so wide and muscles bulging, the small ratway won’t allow more than one person to walk through it. This might be difficult if they’re in need to bolt out of there in a hurry.  
  
But it would’ve been perfect to stop anyone from getting away.  
  
Asami signaled them to move, with Kirishima in front and Suoh closing the formation. They walk as silent as their shiny leather shoes allow. Kirishima has his gun out, pointed upwards in a stead. Asami kept his on the holster, but his hand is not leaving the trigger while Suoh forgo his gun altoghether, feeling more comfortable with his fist.  
  
All of them are trained in martial arts, weaponry and street fighting, not one to be caught off guard. However, they have different fighting style. Suoh likes it better when it’s messy, not a fan of guns unless it’s very necessary. Kirishima, the ever impeccable hates it when it’s messy, guns are his bestfriend, a clean shot is all he needs.  
  
None of them are a match for Asami, though.  
  
Asami fights with his brain, on every occasion, inside and outside of his office. He never fails to find his opponents’ weaknesses, his moves done to exert as little energy as possible while at the same time deals the most damage. He uses different method and pace of fighting for different types of fighter, make it swift when he wants it to wrap up fast, dragged it on when he’s in a playful mood and in need of amusement. The three of them spar at least twice a month to keep their physical and mental reflexes ready for battle, and never once do they win from Asami Ryuichi.  
  
It was a short walk; the trio quickly find themselves face to face to a surprisingly wide clearing hidden behind towering buildings of nightlife business. It seems like people uses this place as some kind of trash field, judging from the scattered pile of wastes here and there. There’s no streetlight illuminating that place, and the most of the setting sun’s rays are blocked by bricks, but their eyes quickly adjusted to the dim surrounding. Asami signaled his men to spread, covering the whole area, and to report to him once they find something worth mentioning.  
  
Asami’s keen eyes catch a twin moving lights after a minute. He texted Kirishima and Suoh before moving closer. If the smell of decaying food and shits were overwhelming before, it’s getting totally unbearable now. However, years of experience trained his nose to catch an underlining tone of something he’s very familiar with. Asami moves as silently as possible towards the light, realizing those are small flashlights held by two unidentified figures as they have their back on him, talking to themselves without being aware of their surroundings. His pupil blown out wide to catch what the lights are pointing at. He recognizes it in a heartbeat, as well as the two people speaking in front of him.  
  
“…prove of his association with them?” one of them says, Asami barely catch the last of his sentence.  
  
Though what makes his heart skip several beats is the next voice, as clear as day, as close as air.  
  
“I’m not sure about that, we need to dig more.”  
  
“I think you have done more than enough.” He unconsciously retorts, giving away the fact that he has been eavesdropping for quite some time. He watches in bemusement when it’s Natsu who turns around to face him and not Akihito. Though he feels somewhat proud when Aki’s next words, however laced with dripping venom, is directed towards him.  
“The fuck are you doing here?!” He snapped. Asami lets out a low chuckle before fishing out his pack of Dunhill, stance relaxing completely.  
  
“Shouldn’t I be asking you the same question?” He quips, which only riles up the latter more.  
  
Surprisingly, it’s Oda Natsu who steps up. He puts himself between Asami and Akihito, completely hiding his partner’s smaller figure from Asami’s line of sight. “With all due respect, Sir.” He says in singsong voice. The smile he wears is everything but nice, and the glint in his eyes is not good news either “We actually have every reason to be here. We were assigned to find this man.”  
  
“You did, what’s next?”  
  
“Listen here you ass—“  
  
— “Then we report back, as simple as that. And here you thought you’re the smartest among us.”  
  
“Ooooooohhhhhh…!! Roasteedd!!!” Akihito exclaimed. He tries his best to sidestep Natsu, probably so he could say that to Asami’s face, but Natsu won’t let him. They were having a stare down with a restless Aki until the last two of Asami’s entourage show up, slightly out of breath.  
  
“Oh, look! It’s Mister I’m-Not-Listening-To-You and his ever faithful bestfriend, Sir I-Only-Take-Order-From-The-High-And-Mighty-Asami-Sama. My day couldn’t get any worse.” The youngest of the group says under his breath, though all of them could perfectly hear it.  
  
Kirishima pays him no mind as he quickly goes to Asami’s side, bowing ever slightly. “We apologize for our tardiness, Asami-sama. We came here as soon as we could.” Of which Asami dismisses with a wave of his hand. Kirishima then notices the body behind Aki and Natsu, frowning in distaste after skimming its condition. “Is that who I think it is?” He quickly whips out his phone, opening files after files until he finds the one he’s looking for. “The face is bloated, but I can confirm that this is our mole.”  
  
“Wait what? This guy works for you? I thought he’s with the cops?”  
  
“He’s not working for us per se.” It’s Suoh who volunteers to clear up Aki’s confusion, seeing his friend is too engrossed with whatever document on his hand and his boss is seemingly absentminded, gazing through them with dunhill on his lips and both hands on his pockets. “He’s a cop first before he joined a lesser gang, claiming to be working under our group, though it seems like he became greedy and decided to turn his back on them.”  
Aki’s eyes are wide with shock, “So he ratted you out to the police? You guys are official criminals now?”  
  
Suoh lets out a small laugh at Aki’s blatant question, “He did not rat us yet. Though he did leak out some of his host’s deals. They’ve been suspicious of him for some times now, so they flush him out. We’re only here since they may mess with Asami-sama’s reputation afterwards.”  
  
“And here I thought you’re doing your job properly. What’s with your half-assed information? I’m very disappointed, Akihito.” Says Asami.  
  
If Akihito was displeased with Asami’s appearance then, he’s straight up disgusted now. God knows he takes his job very seriously, and Asami’s words sting like a motherfucking bitch. Hell, even Asami should know too since he’s practically one of their employer—and did they ever tell him anything about disappointment about his results? Fuck no. “Sorry to disappoint you, oh thy most holy, but our desk job was only to find out where this Asshole went and not to recite his whole life story, neither me nor Natsu were specifically told to please you either.” The hellcat fires back. He’s obviously not in any mood to deal with Asami as he mutters a soft thank you to Suoh for answering his question before pulling Natsu’s hand away from the three of them. “We’re done here, man. Let’s go.”  
  
Suoh waits for any clue from Asami if he should force them to stay but Asami just scoffs and let them be. If the brat wants to leave then so be it, it’s not like Asami wants him to be here either. However, after a few steps, the duo stops on their track and turns over, reaching for a worn out bag discarded somewhere near Suoh’s feet. While the other brat—Natsu—rummages through the bag, Akihito goes to Kirishma, talking to him in a low voice that only the two of them can hear what he’s saying. Kirishima lets out a curt nod before slipping off the wedding band from the corpse’s finger (with all kinds of difficulity, mind you, the body is now as hard as a statue and bloated as fuck) and drops it on Aki’s open palm. The latter let out a blinding smile to Kirishima, which he returned with an annoyed frown. Kirishima is not fooling anyone, though, since alongside that frown is a fond look. The younger exchanged mock salutes to both Kirishima and Suoh before once again taking Natsu’s hand that is not holding the bag and steps off into the night.  
  
How come they bid Suoh and Kirishima goodbye but not Asami??  
  
“Sir, everything’s confirmed. I’ve sent clean up team to take care of the body. We have to visit the Sagawa Group as soon as possible, though. Sagawa contacted me not long ago, extending an invitation to a possible partnership. He said we’re welcome to visit them anytime.”  
  
Kirishima’s words break Asami from his trance, it somehow become normal occurrence nowadays for him to zone out. He lets out a single nod before motioning them to get out of that place as well.  
  
“ Kirishima, when did you become so close with Akihito?”  
  
\-------------  
  
Natsu is by Akihito’s side, driving. He’s also currently on the phone with the police turned yakuza member turned double agent’s widow; explaining to her everything but leaving aside most of the gory part, or his indirect association with Asami Ryuichi in the gentlest way possible. Driving while on the phone is not exactly traffic-safe, but giving the wheel or the phone to Akihito when his mood is nowhere near peachy might cause more trouble than it’s worth.  
  
Akihito? Well, he just can’t believe his luck.  
  
Just when everything is finally right, when life gets as close as the way it was before Asami, said man had to pop out of nowhere ad giving him fourth degree wrath. He could already feel the upcoming headache just being reminded of him as he lets out a low groan. His fingers are tapping the dashboard where both his hands situated at, head hung low between his tense shoulders. He risked a glance to see the world around him, not registering passing faces as their car zooms off towards their house.  
  
Suddenly his breath hitches, his hazel eyes closing for a few moments. Natsu throws him a worried glance for a second before flickering back to the road. “You okay?” He mouthed after making sure he has the younger’s attention, phone distanced from his lips “Need me to pull over?” where he receives a weak head shake as an answer.  
  
“Just…just don’t use that street if you need to go somewhere this week. There’s gonna be a very big accident there.”  
  
Natsu wets his lips in concern. He quickly bids goodbye to the weeping woman on the other side of his line before ending the call. He parks the car in front of a closed store before turning all his attention to the shaking boy beside him. “You ok? How many was there?”  
  
“I-I don’t know? Seven? Maybe Eight? T-they work around that area, on their way h-home. I must have unconsciously seen their f-faces when we were passing by. But I’m not s-sure that’s all.” He manages to stutter. Natsu wraps a protective arm around his shaking body, letting him rest his head on the crook of his neck as he collects himself. “It could happen tomorrow, or the day after. Find another route, will you?” He continues weakly. Natsu gives him a nod, muttering a yeah, sure when he realizes that Aki won’t be able to see it. He runs his hand up and down his back, trying to give him a temporary sense of comfort.  
  
“Let’s go home, Aki.”  
  
\-------------  
  
“Sir, we can’t move since there seems like an accident ahead of us, some car crashing into another due to traffic. Do you want me to go and check it out?”  
  
The three of them were moving slowly but steadily towards the Sagawa group’s residence. It’s more of a rundown apartment lived by a bunch of rowdy men than a group base, but it served their purpose just fine. The Sagawas are not wealthy, nor are they powerful, but they are witty. They have proven to be a powerful ally in Asami’s aid when needed, though currently, they’re facing some problems where Asami should question their loyalty.  
  
“…Stay in the car, Kirishima, something is not right.”  
  
“Sir, we can’t turn around either. There are cars behind us blocking the way.”  
  
Asami called the bluff. The road to Sagawa’s can’t be this packed. The street was usually deserted at this time of the night since people knows what awaits few kilometers further.  
Before they know it, people start getting out of their cars, all kinds of weapons on their hands. They were all laughing, absolutely giddy that they finally have the Asami Ryuichi at their mercy. One of them is carrying a baseball bat, dragging it on the asphalt with a maniacal grin. He makes a grand gesture to his friends to step back, swinging the bat in cocky manner.  
  
He raises the bat, eager to plant it on Asami’s front window.  
  
\-------------  
  
“We’re here, Princess.” Natsu jokingly says, parking their car on its designed spot before taking off his seatbelt and turning around to face his silent partner. His previous happy demeanor is replaced with that of worry when he realizes that Akihito is not exactly with him. His eyes are vacant and his lips are moving in an entranced chant. Suddenly, he snapped out of whatever trance he was dwelling, panting hard as if he had been running home instead of being driven around by a car. His expression speaks to Natsu that he’s trying to comprehend something, anything, until his face snapped towards him, pupil blown out in panic;  
  
“NO! NO! Natsu! Natsu! Turn around! Turn around NOW!!”  
  
“What? Wh-where are we going!?” The car is stopped already and they have just arrived in front of their house what makes Aki suddenly tugging his arm like crazy?  
  
He gets no answer since Akihito is already stepping out of the car, pulling Natsu out of the driver seat before putting himself in front of the wheel. “Lock the door after you, I may not come home.”  
  
\------------  
  
Everything happened so fast.  
  
One second he felt so relieved after seeing their front door, far from the evils in the world, far from Asami Ryuichi and his A grade personality of an asshole.  
  
The next he’s on a battlefield, or what looks like one after a zombie apocalypse.  
  
The road is packed with cars, but left unattended as they’re either broken or had their glass smashed. Bodies strewn carelessly, most dead, some still groans and moans in agony. He’s running from something…for something, but he’s not sure what. His foot tripped on rubble in his hurried state that he stumbled and fell. His knees were a little scraped, but he paid them no mind. Then he saw Asami and Suoh, guns in hands, hiding on one side of their now battered up limo. Kirishima by their side, tying a strip of their once expesive silk tie to Asami’s thigh. Aki could see the shine of blood seeping through despite of the dark fabric, darkening it further. Some of it has created a small pool underneath. Asami had taken off his suit, and Aki could clearly see a darker spot blooming from Asami’s upper right chest, just below his shoulder blades.  
  
He stood in front of them, breath heaving. Asami noticed his presence in a second. His face showed that of confusion.  
  
“What are you doing here?” They asked in unison as the repeated force of bullets rain down on the other side of the limo, the side they’re not hiding on. Aki had never seen a machine gun in real life, but he’s sure of what he heard if the action movies he watched with Natsu were not a complet bluff. He also realized that neither Kirishima nor Suoh is aware of his existence in this realm, then this vision is about Asami, again.  
  
He’s going to witness Asami’s death once again.  
  
“Sir!” Suoh called “Can you stand?” Asami groaned at that, knowing that eventhough he tried to dismiss the pain and tell Suoh that everything’s alright, the bullet tore his muscle, leaving him disabled. He wouldn’t be able to join the battle even if he must. And he had to fight, they’re clearly outnumbered in this ambush. “I can’t move my legs.”  
  
Akihito sensed Asami’s turmoil. His mind reeled so fast. Without giving it too much thought, he snatched one of Asami’s gun “How the hell do you use this!?”  
  
“Put that down!” Asami retorted back. Kirishima and Suoh now looked at him as if he’s losing his mind.  
  
“For fucks sake, just tell me!”  
  
Asami cursed under his breath. He messed up his once impeccable hairstyle, pulling Aki down to crouch in front of him with his good hand so that golden would clash with hazel. Both held the same determination and stubbornness, neither wanted to back down. Asami let out a defeated sigh.  
  
“Don’t point the nozzle towards yourself no matter what.” He said in a low voice, using his pointer finger to nudge the barrel away from Aki’s sneaker-clad feet. “This is a revolver, and you have 6 rounds. Here’s how you check the bullets…” Asami showed him the revolver’s machination “…they go round, hence the name. My other guns are lacking ammunition at the moment, this is all that we have. You ever fired a gun before?” Aki gave him a little shake hesitantly.  
  
“Does shooting games count? There’s the one in arcades with a gun replica and all…” He trailed off unsurely. Asami give it a thought for a few seconds before giving him a nod of approval.  
  
“It has the same principle, though the accuracy would be very different. There’re also recoils and sounds—your ears might be ringing for a while. Are you ready?” A nod from him was enough for Asami to spin him around. He guided both of Aki’s hand to hold the handle, “Make sure you have a sure grip.” He mutters lowly to Akihito’s ear “The gun is not a weapon; it’s a part of your hands. Wouldn’t wanna lose your hand now, would you?” Of which the younger replied with a shake of his head.  
  
The moment felt strangely intimate, almost like their second limo ride together. The world is in chaos all around them but their little bubble is not popped off. Asami put his hand on Akihito’s forearm, steadying them. He whispered to his ears, pick a target he said, don’t lose your focus he added. And Aki was drowning in that voice.  
  
“Now.”  
  
He fired a shot to an unsuspecting, conveniently placed, flower pot on the other side of the street. Although the force of the shot sent shocks through his arms, lessening his accuracy, Asami’s body right behind him stopped him from falling backwards. He let out a shuddering breath, nerves were wracking through him while Asami lips on his hair kept on muttering soothing, unrecognizable sentences of sweet nothings. “What are your plans?” He queried in a whisper, making sure neither Kirishima nor Suoh could hear him.  
  
“Kirishima-san and Suoh-san can’t see me…” He answered after catching his breath. “Then your attacker won’t see me either. I can easily sneak up on them.” Asami frowned at that.  
  
“They can’t see you, what if they shot you without knowing? There’re at least ten of them that me, Kirishima, and Suoh hadn’t take down out there, Aki.”  
  
“Did you just imply that the three of you took down almost fifty men?”  
  
He was met by a quirked brow “I was not implying anything, but yes, we were doing quite well until some bastard went into frenzy and shoots maniacally. We were not expecting an ambush either, hence we’re not fully equipped.”  
  
Aki rolls his eyes at the sick amused glint dancing in those pretty Golds. “Show off. Anyway, I can’t get hurt in my vis—wait…” He glanced at his scraped knees “Well fuck, I might get hurt. You have any better idea?”  
  
“Kirishima, is back up on the way?” The older of the two suddenly diverted his attention to his secretary.  
  
“No, sir. Our signal is jammed. We can’t request back up.”  
  
Then his golden orbs were back to the boy in front of him. With a displeased sigh, he gripped the boy’s arm in a punishing clutch. “You do what you gotta do, but remember…  
  
…if I see one wound, Akihito, even it’s just a graze, or a chipped nail, I’m hunting you down myself.  
  
Now go.”  
  
\--------  
  
In spy action movies, the protagonist would try their best to be undetected, that’s like the main point of the movie.  
  
In Video Games, players rely on their stealth skill to sneak up on their opponents, some games even added damage points to the attack if there’s stealth included.  
  
So naturally, Akihito, who’s currently in a state where no one can see him, should have been able to do this easily, like a walk in a park, right? Wrong. Unless the park was on fire, and the grass were made of burning steel that stabs whoever stepped on them.  
  
Once he got the clear from Asami, he quickly moved out of their hiding position. He made sure to stay low, hiding behind one car after another—more for protection against stray bullets rather than hiding. He reminded himself of Asami’s words over and over in his head like some kind of mantra.  
  
_Now, Akihito, think of this as one of your stake outs. You never failed at your job, right? What makes this one different?_ He said to himself. _First, what do you need? Information_. His eyes quickly scanned the area. There’re five people left; two were operating a big-ass machine gun that you could only see on TVs, they shot repeatedly to the fortified limo which served as Asami and the gang’s shield at the moment, one was hiding behind a pillar, in his hand is normal looking gun (Akihito thanked whatever that is holy at that), same goes for the other one although for now, he’s busy speaking to an earpiece, the last one is a sniper—if Asami had not told him about this, he would’ve find it difficult to locate the man, perched on top of the skyscraper across the street, scope glinting from the sun.  
  
_Second, planning_. It would be difficult to target the sniper; although he possessed the biggest threat for Asami, he’s up high. Aki and his flimsy revolver wouldn’t be able to reach him even if he tried. The easiest target would be Machine-gun men, they’re out in the open—but that’s a problem to. Their partners would have realized it when they’re down, and eventhough they couldn’t see him, he didn’t want to risk them shooting blindly at his direction only for the bullet to strike too close to comfort. He’s left with the last two of the group’s dynamic Boring Gun and Earpiece, which of them should be taken down first?  
  
_Third, execution_. Aki broke into a run, revolver clutched tight, held close to his heart. He moved as silently as possible to Earpiece, listening to him muttering some kind of code before reporting their situation. Once he’s done and focused back to the battle at hand, Aki pressed the nozzle of his gun to the latter’s back, right where his heart resides. And before the man could comprehend the added weight on his body, a bullet went through, silenced by its victim’s body.  
  
Huh, you would’ve thought they wore Kevlar or something.  
  
“This is 5-4-2, 5-4-2, Echo-Delta-Bravo.” He muttered to the communication device, trying to make his voice as low and raspy as possible, mimicking the original owner of said piece of technology. “Reporting from field, coast clear, under control. Reporting back in 15 minutes, over.”  
  
He dropped the device to the ground, smiling in satisfaction as it fell with a thud. Breaking expensive things are totally on his top most lists of guilty pleasures now. For his own amusement, he stepped on the tiny box with all his might, crushing it under his sneaker. Once he’s done, he crept stealthily along the wall, silently humming the theme of mission impossible. He’s now situated right behind Machine-Gun men, Boring Gun was down already, either by Kirishima’s or Suoh’s deadly precision. He tip-toed to his fallen body anyway, took the corpse’s gun and relishing in the fact that the automatic feels better in his hand. He tucked the revolver on his waistband after placing the safety back on. He twirled his newfound war spoil, loving the lighter weight and surer grip.  
  
Fuck, this feels good.  
  
Aki took a deep breath, Asami’s words are repeating inside his head. He made sure his stance was firm, he made sure his hands were not shaking. He’s not very keen of his accuracy, but this is better than nothing. After a little pep talk to himself, he released the safety latch, then fired his shot. The aftershocks sent his legs and body stumbling to the wall behind him, his ears were ringing, he winced uncomfortably to his overall surrounding.  
  
Though what’s a rookie with gun’s chance to shoot someone from this distance? Aki groaned when he realized that his bullet missed the target, barely grazing Machine-Gun Man 1’s right bicep. He aimed once again to the two enraged and confused man, willing his brain to stop short-circuiting so his body would actually move according to him.  
  
Only to widen his eyes in realization that that was his last bullet. His stupid amateur ass did not bother to check the magazine before cockily playing Rambo despite being a newborn Bambi in the hunter’s gun-wielding world.  
  
In his state of shock, he’s forgotten about the revolver on his waistband, his body rooted to the spot when the two men turned around and pointed their gun (thankfully not the heavy-duty weapon) on his general direction before he’s pulled back to Natsu’s concerned face.  
  
He’s back to the present, chest heaving and heart beats three times faster. His vision could have happened tomorrow, or the next day, or—he glanced at his knee, his scraped knee. His previously limp, shaking hands are moved to examine them until they brushed upon a foreign object tucked messily under his waistband.  
  
“Nonononononononono—  
  
—“NO! NO! Natsu! Natsu! Turn around! Turn around NOW!!”  
  
\-------------  
  
“Sir? Sir? Please wake up, Sir.”  
  
Asami groaned due to the pounding headache pulsing inside his head. He tried to sooth it with his left hand, but the action replaced with a wince. He forgot that a bullet just missed his heart by centimeters. He glanced to his friends, looking worried and battered, but relieved at the same time. “I was out?”  
  
Kirishima gives him concerned looks “Like a log. One minute I tried to patch you up, then your system shuts down. We tried to wake you, considering the sounds of guns went off didn’t. I almost thought you died if not for your sleep talking.”  
  
“I… what?” He asks, not bothering if he sounds stupid at the moment. He also finds out that his shirt is now unbuttoned while white dressings covered a part of his chest. He still got his pants on, but he can sense the telltale feelings of bandages on his thigh. It was a clean shot then.  
  
“You were going off about your revolver. I mean yeah, sure, man, you do you. But if you’re going to sweet talk anyone about your guns, revolvers ain’t that impressive.”  
  
“Suoh, you hang around that brat way too much.” Kirishima scolds. Suoh just shrugged with a shit eating grin on his face.  
  
“Situation?” Asami croaked. Not very keen to continue any talks about his guns. He couldn’t even tell them the truth since what would he say? That he was dreaming of Akihito? Yeah, sure. But he’s saved once Kirishima coughs a little to clear his throat before stating what he missed.  
  
“It’s weird but the last thirty minutes, we managed to take one down from that pillar over there, his partner is nowhere to be seen, though we witnessed that he’s the one who kept in touch with whoever planned the ambush, we suspected that he went back to report, or request for back up, but there’s nothing so far.  
  
Furthermore, the ones operating the machine gun were distracted, we saw them turning around, yelling and pointing their guns at something. That’s when we shot them. As for the sniper, he tried to take one of us out while we were on it, but he missed. It seems like he retreated, knowing that his location is already compromised. We’re safe for now. Bad news though, we still can’t contact the HQ. The signal jammer has been lifted, but it seems like our communication with them was totally cut off. We’re stuck here until God knows when.”  
  
As soon as the words left Kirishima’s mouth, they heard horns blaring from somewhere far away. There’re headlights from a car, probably a clueless driver who’s thinking about a shortcut, but ended up facing the most cliché scene of every alien invasion movie ever. That is, until they hear the all too familiar voice;  
  
“Kirishima-san! Suoh-san! Asami too, I guess—considering you’re still alive. If you’re there please raise your hand! Fuck, I mean shout so loud so I can determine your location! Wait! In second thought, your enemies may hear you, if you’re there please blink! WHAT THE FUCK AKIHITO—ARGH!”  
  
The three grown man shake their head, deep sighs leaving their lips.  
  
“Well…” Suoh says, “At least we get a ride.”  
  
“We don’t” Asami groaned out loud. “Dodge Vipers only have two seats.”  
  
\-------------  
  
“Remind me why are we doing this again.” Natsu groans, running his hands through red dyed hair. Aki just pouts cutely with his puppy eyes on display since he knows so well how weak Natsu is when he does that.  
  
“Oh come on, my summer, bubbly buddy, we’re helping people in need! Don’t you wana be on Santa’s good list this year? I swear he’d drop nice gifts under our tree once he sees how kind hearted you have been.” Akihito coos. Natsu rolls his eyes in annoyance, there’s no fighting whiny Akihito, moreover when he’s dead set into something.  
  
“We don’t even celebrate Christmas.” He mutters.  
  
Aki turned off his charms right away, knowing that Natsu is finally on board with his idea albeit reluctantly. “Yeah? Then I’ll make sure we celebrate it when the time comes, just so Santa can drop the gifts for you.”  
After realizing that there’s no way they would fit four grown men—three being overly big and muscled—into one dodge viper no matter how hard they try, Aki insisted that they should call Natsu since he has another car that they rarely use. Though when a very disgruntled Natsu came with a Corolla, they just want to smack the young boy on the back of his head. Even so, Akihito still defended himself by stating that _now they have two cars while the bad guys trio have none and they should just suck it up and take it like a man_. So they decided to split. Natsu claimed that he refuse to drive if Aki is not in the same car with him, but then totally torn when he realizes that in order for that to happen, somebody would have to drive his other baby, somebody that is not Akihito, or anyone from his circle.  
  
Even anyone from his circle finds it difficult to get Natsu allowing them to drive his car, unless they’re Akihito.  
  
So with a disappointed sigh, he lets Aki drive Viper (yes, he named the Dodge Viper, Viper, and the red Corolla, Cola) with Asami—since he can’t stand being in the same closed space with said person for too long—while he, on the other hand, would be having Kirishima and Suoh as his guest despite their protests that they’re fully capable of driving on their own, which was rejected since _nobody touches my babies_.  
  
And thus, that was how the two youngest conversed in front of their cars, laughing and whining, while the three slightly more responsible adults prepare for their short trip back home. The young-uns paid them no mind as Kirishima makes sure that Asami’s dressings are _good enough_ and his bandages are _tight enough_ before sending him off, despite the fact that he’s basically the ruler of Japan’s underworld, and practically a king behind the curtain. Asami just shrugs it off, way too customized to his secretary’s behavior to think of it. Although, even the ever silent Suoh couldn’t keep his eyes from rolling in exasperation.  
  
Akihito bid Natsu goodbye as he drives through the night, taking Kirishima and Suoh with him while he and Asami stay behind to wait for the clean up team despite Kirishima’s insistence to do it on his stead so he can rest and get treated as soon as possible. Asami, of course, push his wounds down to the least of his priority while assessing the damage and his used-to-be attackers. However, once the Corolla is out of sight does the proud figure slump to the ground, moaning and groaning from agony.  
  
The younger of the two crouched beside him, worry laces his feature. “You okay there my dude? I’m not more medically certified than Kirishima, so I wouldn’t be able to help you more than this.” Asami huffs out a strained laugh at that. “Uh, I don’t think you should be laughing nor doing anything. I’m not sure what you should be doing really…” he trails off when Asami tried to get up “—uh, where are you going? Asami? Asami! Hey!”  
  
“Stop your whining and be useful for once, Akihito. Find anyone who’s still alive.”  
  
Yeah, sure, since looking for someone that’s still breathing in a huge pile of dead bodies is one of his favorite pastime, yay him.  
  
“Damn, you’re cuter when you’re dying.” Aki mutters under his breath as he walk pass Asami to halfheartedly find a survivor.  
  
“What was that?”  
  
“Nothing, poophole. Just get on with it.” The two of them start moving around, Aki with 30 percent pity, 20 percent anger, and 50 percent disgust whereas Asami with 100 percent unbotheredness moving through misplaced limbs and reddish asphalt. Akihito stole a glance to the latter where he crouched, trying to sense breathing and pulse with his fingers. Aki can see that the task is very heavy for his wounded legs and shoulder. “Hey, Asami, can’t you just nudge them with your good leg or something? You can barely walk!” Just as soon as the words left Aki’s mouth, Asami is falling again with a strained groan. He quickly dashes to his side, hands hovering—not sure where to touch. “You told Suoh that you can’t move your legs! Why are you being stupid and insisting to look around for survivors anyway!?”  
  
Asami moaned in pain, unconsciously grabbing Akihito’s wrist and squeezing the life off it as a way to ground himself. Aki winces at the sting but chooses to keep his mouth shut. “I couldn’t walk back then, I can walk now. It doesn’t even matter, I passed ou—wait, how did you know that?”  
  
“What?”  
  
“How did you know a conversation exchanged between me and Suoh, if you’re not here?”  
  
Akihito visibly rolls his eyes in annoyance, “The same way I know where you at and that you needed a ride, smartypants. I envisioned your death, again.”  
  
“You eavesdrop on our conversation.” Asami deadpans.  
  
“No, Dumbdumb, WE were having a conversation, and Suoh butted in since he couldn’t see US having a conversation.”  
  
There’s a long stretched silence between them with Akihito’s wrist still caged between Asami’s large palm in a death grip. Hazel is lost between Gold as Asami’s gaze is burning holes right through him as if trying to find any sign of humor—only to find none. They don’t know how long they’ve stayed in that position until the noises from chopper blades getting closer pulled them out. Aki quickly tries to retract his hand, only for Asami to tighten his hold.  
  
He pulls on it, and by extension, Akihito, so that his lips are almost touching Aki’s left ear that’s now cold due to the wind;  
  
“Stay, we have things to discuss.”  
  
\-------------  
  
“Yes, Natsu, I’m alright. Asami and I have things we need to talk about. It’s about my curse? Gift? Whatever it is…  
  
…I’ll make sure he let me go home this time, he owed me his life twice. Unless he’s an ungrateful bastard who doesn’t know how to pay their debts—which would be ironic since his job is practically running around collecting poor people’s debts…  
  
…Sorry for making you eat dinner all by yourself today, yeah? I dunno when the stuck-up asshole would let me go and I don’t want you to wait on me with empty stomach either. Just eat your dinner and go to sleep, kay? I’ll grab something on the way home…  
  
…Of course, of course, you’re my emergency contact, remember? And your name is listed first on my speed dial. I’ll let you know if I need help—  
  
—or a ride home. Yes, yes, I’m not going to let the jerk drive me around—what? No, I’m pretty sure he has thousands of cars in his garage, that one limo means nothing—I have Viper with me, remember? I need to take her home too…  
  
…Thank you for worrying, bud. Talk to you soon.”  
  
Aki ends the call with a heavy sigh. As soon as the clean up and medical team arrived, the both of them were quickly fussed over; Asami with his pretty threatening gunshot wounds that he walked off like a pro the very second his check up was done as he’s immediately talking with the team leader and Akihito with his scraped knee where he’s practically babied—wrapped in a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate in hand with people asking him every 10 minutes whether he needs anything—  
  
—“Are you okay there? Do you need anything?” Aki could feel his eyes roll to the back of his skull upon hearing that phrase for the nth time tonight. He regards Asami with a bored face, while the latter is sticking to his usual stoic expression, complete with the ever-present Dunhill (now that he thinks of it, does Asami has an infinite amount of Dunhill or what?)  
  
“Yes, and no. Can we go now? How much longer does it take?” He says, not caring if now he sounds like a kid whining to their parents since they got bored on a trip. Asami does a once over, “I think we’re pretty much done for the night. The team would take care for the rest.”  
  
From where he’s seated, Aki could observe body bags after body bags being carried; some to the cars that arrived a few minutes after the chopper, and the rest goes to the matte black helicopter that goes back and forth between wherever Asami used to dump his war residues and this deserted road. Now he’s not that big fan of helicopters but the one Asami owns with Sion’s logo embezzled on it in gold is pretty sick. However, even if he’s very, very on board with fulfilling his curiosity on flying in a chopper after watching and re-watching Black Hawk Down for way too many times, he refuses to take Asami’s offer take it to Sion. Choosing instead his beat up car that has been waiting patiently for them for two hours or so.  
  
After a short debate, Asami finally agrees to ride with Akihito in his Dodge Viper, added with another argument that ends with Asami letting Akihito takes the wheel.  
  
“Do you mind if we take a detour somewhere?” The businessman/Kingpin breaks the silence after ten minutes speeding into the bustling night of Tokyo. Akihito replies with a nod as he slowly pushes down on the brake for a traffic light. “A business partner of mine suddenly asks for a meeting, something about his shipping that did not arrive on time.”  
  
Aki steals a quick glance to the man beside him, a little bit taken aback on how easily Asami disclose that information to him, even going as far as taking him to one of his supposedly illicit meeting. “Just show me the way.”  
  
It was a thirty minutes ride, filled with silence and occasional exchange of questions. Aki did not push any further about the meeting, and Asami was tight lipped too. They stopped in front of a traditional Japanese Restaurant, the kinds that Akihito doesn’t pay any attention to considering there would be no chance of him to get into. Asami leads them both to a secluded corridor, seemingly a place that’s intended for meetings since Aki could no longer hear voices from the other dining patrons. The corridor branches out to a T-section, each ended with a room with sliding doors. Asami takes the one on their left and Akihito naturally follows.  
  
The door opens to a beautiful bamboo-walled dining room with a low table as a centerpiece and sitting cushions. On one side of the room is an indoor garden, complete with a small river and waterfall. The walls are adorned with traditional Japanese-styled paintings, accompanied with small wall lamps that’s shaped like little torches. Right above the table is a lantern that casts off most lights for the room, giving it a warm, welcoming glow.  
  
However, the eyes of the old man in currently sitting on one of the cushions are far from warm and welcoming.  
  
“Shinosaki-san.” Asami greets with a small nod, the other does the same.  
  
“Asami-sama, how generous of you to accept my impromptu invitation, please forgive my rudeness. However, I believe you and I both understand that this is a serious matter and needs to be resolved swiftly.”  
  
“Indeed, Shinosaki-san.” Asami takes a seat in front of the man, crossing his legs gracefully while Aki just stands awkwardly in front of the door—not sure where he should put himself in this situation—“I hope you’re not bothered if I brought a companion with me, I went here as soon as received your message—come sit by me, Akihito.”  
  
The addressed quickly plants himself on Asami’s side, legs folding and both hands fisted on his thigh. He keeps his gaze down as so not to meet Asami’s guest’s eyes. Even so, he could practically feel them drilling holes on him. “And who this might be, Asami-sama?”  
  
“No one you should be concerned with. If you’re concerned about confidentiality, I can ensure you that there’s nothing to worry about. I trust him with my life. Now, on to your shipping delay, as we have discussed before...”  
  
If Akihito could feel his face warms as blood rushes to his head and the tips of his ears, or if Asami’s hand extends to his fisted one, closing on them as if offering comfort, no one would know—all happened under the table, hidden by Asami’s cold expression and Aki’s downturned head.  
  
\-------------  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this is confusing, yes I too can not keep up with my brain sometimes  
> I'm very sorry

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
